Rock Man EXE 5 Twin Leaders: The Alternate History
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: RMEXE5 DS AU. What if Hikari Netto and Rock Man hadn't been able to participate in the "Team of Colonel"? What would Ijuuin Enzan and Blues do in their stead? How would they behave? And who are the two villians who have forged an alliance with the evil Dr. Regal thus kidnapping the two heroes? And what if the members of both teams became mixed? Adventure and mystery are waiting!
1. Chapter 1: One March morning

**Rock Man EXE 5 Twin Leaders: Alternate History**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Chapter 1: One March morning**

09:48 AM (Japan Time), Saturday March the 11th, 2005…

"… t… kun! …tto – kun! Netto – kun!"

"…Hmmm…"

Hikari Netto, aged 11, was mumbling as he leant his head over his arms atop his work-desk: his PC's screen had the Hikari family mark screensaver on and the new-style PET had been left on the rightmost corner of the desk: it was rumbling and shaking while Rock Man EXE called out to his Operator.

"Netto – kun! You shouldn't be napping! You haven't finished your homework yet, right!" He scolded him.

Netto yawned and stretched his arms upwards as if finally waking up: Rock Man sighed while Netto rubbed his eyes.

"Fua~h… 'Morning, Rock Man…"

"It ain't "morning" anymore, Netto – kun! I thought you'd started to do the homework and then you suddenly fall asleep…" Rock Man grumbled in clear annoyance.

"Well! Ain't that fine? It's not like I dozed off during training… And, well… Why don't we go to the Internet to shake off the sleep?" Netto shrugged and seemingly tried to come up with a loophole to the whole thing.

"Hmmm… Just a little while, though! As soon as I Plug-Out… Then you gotta continue the homework!" Rock Man settled.

"Roger, roger! Plug – I...!"

"Netto~! Can't you come over for a sec?" Hikari Haruka called out from the ground floor.

Netto stopped his Plug-In pose just as he was starting and fumed before turning around and looking towards the slightly open bedroom door leading out into the stairs.

"Mama… What's up? _Ha~i!_"

Netto picked the PET and placed it inside of the holster while he lazily headed downstairs and into the kitchen/living room: Haruka was doing something with the oven and she looked up.

"Hey, Netto. Can I ask a favor out of you? I'm a bit busy, you see." She requested of him.

"Yup! Alright!" Netto tried to look welcoming.

"Really? How helpful! Well then, I'd like of you bring this to a friend's Navi…" Haruka told him.

She handed him a piece of paper with some annotations on it titled "Stew Recipe" so Netto picked it with his right hand.

"Where's Mama's friend's Navi at?"

"They're at a place named "Kitchen Cybernetics", so I'm counting on you. The "Kitchen Cybernetics" can be accessed from the Internet's Akihara Area 2!" She instructed.

"Roger! Well then! Let's go, Rock Man!"

"Yup! Let's Plug-In from your PC, Netto – kun. Send me to the Cyber World!" Rock Man confirmed with a welcoming smile.

"Yeah! Leave it up to me! We're gonna Plug – In right away!"

"Go! But be careful!"

Netto rushed back upstairs and stopped in front of his PC to take out the PET and aim its IR port at his screen's IR port.

"Plug – In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

He hit the "Plug-In" button and the IR beam jumped off the PET and made contact with the screen thus allowing Rock Man to get inside.

"Ah! Netto – kun! Some Viruses have sneaked inside of the HP!"

In effect: a pack of 3 Mettool Viruses had sneaked inside of the HP and looked hostile.

"Alright, Rock Man! Let's do some "Virus Busting" as _warming up_!" Netto grinned.

"Yup! Handle the "Operating"! But, Netto – kun… Can you properly "Operate" right after waking up?" Rock Man questioned with a slight hint of skepticism.

"I'm totally woken up by now!" He replied as if defending himself.

"Really? Well then, let's go!"

"Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Tackle the left guy first! Battle Chip, Cannon! Slot In!"

"Cannon! Counter Hit!"

"Battle Chip, Sword! Slot In!"

"Good! One left!"

"Eh… Battle Chip, Area Steal, Wide Sword! Double Slot In!"

"Take this!"

"METTO~!"

"…We did it! Well done, Netto – kun!" Rock Man sighed in relief once the last one had been deleted.

"Well done, Rock Man! Good! Let's go run Mama's errand! If memory serves… The "Kitchen Cybernetics" is close to Akihara Area 2! Well then… Let's depart!" Netto complimented.

"Roger!"

Rock Man stepped out into the general Internet while humming a tune.

"…Hi, Rock!" Someone called out.

Rock Man spotted Roll EXE, Sakura Meiru's Net Navi, walking over to his spot so he stopped to greet her with a smile.

"Hiya, Roll – chan."

"Ya going somewhere?" She asked him.

"Well, I'm running an errand for Mama…" He admitted.

"Oh! True. Guts Man and Glyde are in Akihara Area 2. If you meet them then you could chat with them?" She suggested to him.

Rock Man nodded in agreement and blinked the right eye to her before they headed separate ways: Rock Man continued into the Akihara Area 2 while glancing at the Navis and Program – kuns going up and down the main avenue: he spotted Guts Man (Ooyama Dekao's Net Navi) and Glyde (Ayanokouji Yaito's Net Navi) standing in a square and doing something so Rock Man headed for Guts Man.

"Guts, guts! If ain't Rock Man, de guts!"

"Hiya, Guts Man!"

"I'm exchanging Chips with Glyde, de guts! Should be expected… Glyde, being Yaito's Navi, has some nice Chips! De guts!" Guts Man admitted with a little chuckle.

"Hiya, Glyde!" Rock Man greeted next.

"… Hiya, Rock Man – san. Good morning, sir! Are you going somewhere, sir?" He politely asked back.

"Well, I'm running an errand for Mama…"

"…That is admirable, sir. It would be nice if Yaito – sama took care of some of the house's tasks, yet… But I talk too much, anyway." He let out a little chuckle.

Rock Man waved good-bye to them before he spotted a "Warp Point" into which he stepped to enter the "Kitchen Cybernetics".

"…Excuse me… Are you Mama's friend's Navi?"

"My! It's Rock Man – chan from Hikari – san's household. I always listen to the tales of Haruka – san, you see." The Navi giggled.

"Mama charged me with this."

He tried to ignore Netto's giggle in the background: he obviously found it funny how the Navi had used the "-chan" suffix on him.

"My. You took the bother of coming to hand it over. Haruka – san's house-made stew is divine. That's why my Operator requested of her to know the recipe! Thank you~! Let's start making this straight away! Tell Haruka – san I am thankful." The Navi sounded pleased.

The Navi plugged out so Rock Man sighed in relief and then cleared his throat as he formed a slightly evil smile and glanced at the holographic screen displaying a close-up of Netto's face.

"Well, Netto – kun… Now that we've ended Mama's errand… You should resume the homework…" He reminded him.

"Whaddya saying? Up until now I was doing Mama's errand! My "Internet Time" starts now!" Netto came up with another loophole.

"Jeez! How sneaky! Netto – kun…!" He complained.

The PET beeped and Rock Man spotted how a patch of the ground's circuitry lighted up: an email icon popped out of the ground and Rock Man reached out to it to open it up and read the contents.

"… Netto – kun, mail! Ah! From Papa… I'll read it… "Netto. Could you gather the group and come to Papa's lab in the Science Labs? There's something I want to show you." … So it says! I wonder what Papa wants to show us..." Rock Man read before wondering aloud.

"… By "the group" he gotta mean Meiru, Dekao and Yaito… Alright! Let's Plug – Out ASAP and go round the guys up! Rock Man! Plug – Out!" Netto muttered before announcing a command.

"Roger!"

Netto retrieved Rock Man and then ran downstairs: he headed over to Haruka who had just finished a phone call.

"Netto, Rock Man, thank you. I got a call from my friend saying "thanks"…"

"Mama! We're going to visit Papa!" Netto announced.

"He told us to come via the email." Rock Man added.

"Eh? You're going to visit Papa? Go. But be careful."

"O. K.! Later!"

"Later!"

Netto picked his orange sneakers plus the rollerblade attachments and rushed out into the street: he turned right and rang the bell of Meiru's house: she soon opened the door.

"Hey! Meiru!" Netto greeted with a smile.

"What's up, Netto?" She asked.

"Papa wants to show us something so he requested of me to bring everyone along to the Science Labs." Netto told her.

"Fine, then! But I'd like to do some preparations."

"… Well then… Let's meet in 30 minutes' time in front of the Metro Station!" He suggested.

"Yeah. Later."

Netto whistled a tune and headed over to Dekao's house: he knocked on the door and found it unlocked so he stepped inside and changed his sneakers for slippers and sneaked into Dekao's room where he was doing something with the PC: he tapped his right shoulder from behind and Dekao turned around with a grin on his face.

"Hey! Dekao!"

"Yo~! Netto! What's up?"

"Well! Papa wants to show us something and wants me to bring everyone over to see it."

"Oho! Ain't that really interesting?"

"… Well then! Let's meet in 30 minutes' time in front of the Metro Station!" Netto instructed.

"Okay!"

"Well then, later!"

Netto ran out and put his sneakers again before heading to the Ayanokouji mansion and making the interphone ring.

"Yo~! Yaito!" He called out.

"My! If it ain't Hikaru – kun. What's up?"

"My Papa wants to show us something so he told me to bring everyone along."

"Hum, hum… I have no problem with that but I can't go out so suddenly. If a _lady_ is going out then she has to take care of some preparations, you know." Yaito calmly replied.

"… Gotcha! So let's meet in 30 minutes' time in front of the Metro Station!" He settled.

"In 30 minutes' time, then. Gotcha." She giggled.

"Well then, let's meet later!"

Netto ran off and headed to the small square in front of the station where Higureya was located at: Higure Yamitarou was humming a tune and cleansing the store.

"My beautiful and shining Rare Chips, de masu~… They dance back and forth along the "Slot-In" slot, de masu~…"

"Heh, heh, heh!" Netto giggled at it.

"Jeez. I don't find it laughable."

10:41 AM (Japan Time)…

"…It's about the time…"

"Netto~! We kept ya waiting!"

Netto stood up from one bench after doing something with his PET because Meiru and Yaito had rushed to meet up with him: Yaito suddenly looked around and frowned.

"Huh? Where's Dekao?"

"Hasn't come yet…" Netto admitted.

"… Making me, Yaito – chan, wait for him… The guy gotta have some guts!" She annoyingly muttered.

"Come on, Yaito – chan. He'll surely come in time. But telling us to come as well… What could the deal be about?" Meiru muttered.

"I don't have any hunches, either. But if Papa purposely told us to come over then… Isn't he gonna show us something cool?" Netto admitted before drawing a big grin across his face.

"Wo~h! Huff, huff! No good! My bad, my bad! I got absorbed with Guts Man's maintenance and it turned out to be past the agreed meeting time!"

Dekao had rushed there and stopped to catch his breath again.

"You should be able to uphold a meeting time at the very least!" Yaito snapped at him with obvious annoyance.

"Come on! We've gathered already. So let's go already!" Meiru rallied as she headed for the station's entrance.

"Yessir! Let's go~! Follow me!" Dekao grinned.

"My Rare Chips sing with energy, de masu~!"

"Heh, heh, heh!"

"Jeez. Don't laugh at Higure – san, Netto – kun!"

11:07 AM (Japan Time)…

"…We've finally reached the Science Labs! Okay! Let's go!"

Dekao came out firstly into the street followed by the other three who began to look around and then checked the map board.

"The Science Labs… Been a while!" Yaito muttered.

"…Is the mister fine? It'd seem he hasn't come home in a while, has he?"

"We've reached the Science Labs! Well then! Let's go inside ASAP!" Netto simply replied with a grin.

"Well… It's true that Papa hasn't come home in a while, so I _am_ worried about if he's not overworking it again…" Rock Man admitted.

"Guts, guts! What are we gonna see, de guts?"

"I do not know."

"Tee, heh, heh! It has to be something cool!"

"Oh! I know! A Battle Chip which swipes the floor with the bad guys standing on it!" Dekao laughed.

"We already have seen plenty of those. It's no big surprise." Netto calmly replied as he stuffed both hands on his pockets.

"Man."

"Hah! Cha can only think of using brute force. Use cha head a bit more from time to time!" Yaito challenged.

They climbed up the two sets of stairs and then headed inside of the lobby just as a suspicious looking somewhat retro car reminiscent of a high-profile brand parked in front of the first set of stairs: the car was colored black and its windows were also tinted black so there was no guessing how many people were inside: none of the other persons walking around the exterior seemed to pay attention to its presence.

"It's about the time. Start strategy." A hushed voice commanded.

11:12 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Alright. Let's go to Papa's lab! It's on the 2nd floor so let's go pick the elevator… Follow me, guys!"

The group of four had come inside in the meanwhile and Netto lead them upstairs through two flights of stairs: they then stepped into the elevator and climbed another floor to step out into Hikari Yuuichirou's office: he was doing something with the computer so Netto rushed over to him with a grin on his face.

"Papa!"

"… I'm glad you came, Netto. Did everyone else come along, too?" He asked with a smile.

"Yup! Guys! Come in!" Netto called out.

The other three walked in and formed a row to stand in front of Yuuichirou.

"Good morning!" Meiru greeted.

"Sorry for disturbing!" Dekao grinned.

"It has been a while, sir!" Yaito admitted.

"Yeah. I'm glad you came, guys. The reason I asked you to come today is because I want to show you something." Yuuichirou revealed to them with a little chuckle.

"Show us something?"

"A program I discovered when organizing some old materials…" He teased with a smile.

He began to work with the computer but quickly stopped as he checked something.

"Huh? The ID card isn't here…"

He sighed and nodded his head in negation as if being frustrated that he'd forgotten such an elementary thing.

"… I'm glad this computer's security is though, but if I don't have the ID card then it won't do anything… How inconvenient. Netto. Sorry. But it'd seem I stuffed it inside of Papa's desk drawer… Couldn't you go fetch Papa's ID card?" He instructed.

"Yeah. Wait a min…"

Netto headed over to the adjacent office space and began to check the drawers of the desk at random: he sighed and looked towards the main room.

"Papa! Which drawer?" He asked.

"The first one in the middle: that big drawer."

"Roger! Hum… Where is it…?"

Netto kept on rummaging while Yuuichirou tried to interact with the computer again.

"Huh? The ID recognition screen isn't popping out… It was working fine enough yesterday…" He muttered.

Alarms suddenly blared out and everyone sprung from the surprise before looking around.

"Emergency status triggered! Emergency status triggered! A Navi gang has appeared within the Internet and taking control of some areas' sectors! W… Who the heck are you guys? Uh… Ugwa~h!" Someone announced before gasping and letting out a yell of agony.

A loud static sound which seemed to be line interference filled the space and everyone kept on looking perplexed.

"The Internet is being taken over? W… What's going on?" Yuuichirou wondered aloud.

A small metallic spheroid about the size of a soccer ball silently rolled across the carpeted floor and stopped right behind the group: Yaito spotted it firstly.

"Huh? What could that be?" She wondered.

"Hmmm?" Dekao frowned.

"Huh?" Meiru looked puzzled too.

Yuuichirou gasped.

"Guys! Stay away from…!"

He didn't get to finish: the ball let out some pinkish gas and everyone soon collapsed into the ground.

"Uh-unh…" Yaito muttered.

"Ugh… S-sleep gas…! J-just… what… is… going on? Ugh…!"

"Netto – kun! Hang in there! Netto – kun!"

"P-Papa… Guys…!" Netto muttered.

The sound of footsteps coming inside as well as muffled breathing rang out and Rock Man gasped: however, given how the PET was still inside of the holster then he couldn't see anything of what was going on the outside world.

"…Hikari Yuuichirou: confirmed. Gas concentration at 0.03%... It is alright by now, sir. Please come in, sir." A muffled voice (as if breathing through a gas mask) reported.

The elevator pinged and someone else came inside yet this person didn't seem to be using a gas filtering mask.

"…Hikari Yuuichirou… Bring him along."

"… Yes, sir!"

_That voice…! I know it from somewhere else…!_

"…Regal – sama. What should be done with these children, sir?"

_Regal…! Dr. Regal…! Nebula's Boss…! But didn't he drop to his death last month after the failed attempt to seize Duo's comet? He's still alive, then…? And he's staged this incident? He took Papa away!_

"Rob their PETs. They can't do anything without their PETs."

_How cruel! Stealing Guts Man, Roll – chan and Glyde too!_

"Yes, sir! PET retrieval complete, sir."

"… I can't see Hikari Netto around, though… It's picking me… Search for him…!"

"Yes, sir!"

_Oh crap! _

Rock Man heard one of the mask-holding mans walk closer and stop very close by.

"We have found him, sir."

"Bring him along too." Dr. Regal ordered.

_Heck! I knew it!_

"… Fine: we've achieved today's goal. No use sitting idle for long… Let's go..."

"Yes, sir!"

Rock Man noticed how the PET shook which meant the masked man was carrying the unconscious Netto with him: he heard the elevator's ping twice and the sound of walking down the stairs: the main door opened and they came out on the outside given the sound of the breeze and how the terrain changed.

_We're walking down the main stairway…! They must have an escape car ready…! If only I could activate the wireless system and escape to warn everyone…!_

"Oh. I was forgetting. Switch off all the PETs before climbing into the car as well." Dr. Regal called out.

_Oh heck! Stop!_

However, the PET was shut down and Rock Man's program was as well so he entered "off mode" and all of his inputs were slowly shut down before blackness swallowed him and deafened his cry of fear…


	2. Chapter 2: Crazy grunts

**C****hapter 2: Crazy grunts**

09:09 AM (Japan Time), Monday March the 13th…

"… No! Take your hands off me…! Lemme go…! Papa… Papa…! I told you to stop…! NO~!"

Netto suddenly sat up on a bed somewhere in a sudden manner while panting and looking shocked: he'd obviously woken up from a nightmare and was still processing it: the room was almost totally unlit and this bed seemed to be the lower one of a bunk-bed set.

"… A dream…? No…! It wasn't a dream…! The Science Labs were attacked by someone…! Gas…! Dr. Regal was there…! Someone took me along but I lost consciousness…! Where am I, then?"

He jumped off the bed and tried to get his eyes used to the unlit state: he realized that he was wearing a pair of black pajamas and he had a pair of boxers beneath them: he spotted a slightly open door and rushed there to find a very austere bathroom: he flipped on the light switch and headed for the sink above the mirror only to gasp in shock.

"What the hell!"

His usual messy brunette hair had been tinted black yet it remained largely unchanged: his eyes' irises had somehow become red and they seemed to make him look "evil" even.

"Who messed with MY hair and MY eyes?" He cursed.

"Un-unh… Netto – kun…? Y-you're… alright?" A weak voice called out.

"Rock Man…? Whoa!"

Netto looked at the mirror again and spotted a guy looking very similar to him coming inside of the bathroom from behind him: his hair was neatly combed and colored in a blonde color yet his eyes' irises were also red and displayed concern: he also had the same type of pajamas on.

"Sa… Saito – niisan…? H-how did you… come out into the real world? Am I dreaming again? Net Navis can't come out of their PETs!" Netto gasped.

"Huh? What! I'm in the real world…! And who the heck changed my hair color and eye iris…?" Saito gasped next.

Netto touched his right cheek and frowned before suddenly pressing his right ear against Saito's chest.

"… You're not warm or cold. And I don't hear the beating of a heart either: I can only hear an engine's buzz sound." He told him.

"… Hum… I'm starting to catch up. This is a robotic shell which can recreate any Net Navi's form no matter the size thanks to the elasticity of its composition and some nanomachines which quickly build up new circuitry and mass… Yet the whole process consumes a terribly high amount of energy and the miniature energy core doesn't last more than 8 straight hours and then needs another 8 hours of recharging, yet… This model seems to be designed to recycle the energy by using an alloy which absorbs magnetism in the air…" Saito explained.

"I find it odd Regal would bother so much. He'd rather turn you into a Dark Chip – taken Net Navi…" Netto frowned.

"Could someone else be involved?"

"Let's try to see if we can at least find some clothes because I don't wanna spend the whole day in pajamas. Are you clothes real or are they some kind of simulation?" Netto tried to come with an idea before asking Saito with a hint of curiosity.

"No. They're real, alright. My bodysuit program has been locked down with a 20 digit long password and I can't turn it on again. My fighting abilities are all locked up and I can't pick the PET's signal from anywhere close by either or external signals. This place is totally cut off from the outside world." Saito confirmed.

"Roger…"

They rushed back into the main room and spotted two chairs which had the same clothes neatly folded atop them: a black sleeveless t-shirt, a black wool sweater, black jeans, socks and sneakers: both groaned upon seeing them.

"Black! Why black! It looks… dull!"

"Totally. I hate black spots." Saito muttered.

"Che. They're limiting our choices and making us dance to their tune whoever they are! Let's change into these already."

"… Eh… And how?" Saito suddenly blushed.

"How…? Oh! I'd forgotten! You're still a Navi! You've never had any need to change for over 6 years… Well. Let me help you, Saito – niisan."

"A-alright…"

"Don't worry! You can keep the boxers on. And we're guys so it's no problem to see each other in just boxers, briefs or swimming briefs either…" Netto told him.

He unbuttoned Saito's pajama shirt and helped him take it off: Netto couldn't resist the impulse and pressed his palm against the middle of Saito's chest.

"… No warmth or coldness either… Your flesh is a recreation… Your mind is electronic, too… Your body's thickness… that must be part of a gigantic data cluster… Am I right…?" Netto muttered as he looked up.

"Yeah. You're feeling the raw me. The Net Navi that I am… The recreation of the human I was…" Saito looked elsewhere.

"Sorry! I didn't want to turn you sad, really!" Netto gasped.

"… No. I'm the one who should be sorry. I tend to dramatize too much: I live on which is a good thing already. At least I'm not like Darth Vader who has been living on with that armor for dunno how many years yet something had to happen to him to end up like that… Guess that we'll know once the _Episode III: Revenge of the Sith_ film comes out into the cinemas in May…" Saito muttered.

"Yeah… Well… Can I continue?" Netto tried to change the mood by bringing something else up.

"Yeah… Go on."

He had Saito sit down on the lower bunk-bed (the upper one was obviously Saito's) and helped him take off the pajama pants too: he then picked the jeans and helped Saito fit them in and zip them.

"Wow. They're my exact size." Saito muttered.

"Of course. Whoever provided these knew our sizes."

Netto put him the shirt next and pulled down the sweater: he had Saito sit again and he pulled up the socks.

"Alright. Now watch closely: there's a trick to these sneakers because you have to tie knots in order to keep it on."

"A-alright…" Saito muttered.

"Eh… One… Two… And three… See?"

"O. K… I'll try with the left one."

"Go ahead. I'll change as well."

Saito managed to make the first knot and then paused while he seemingly tried to remember how the second one was made: he made some clumsy attempts before he managed to do it and finally finished it with the third knot: he looked up to see that Netto had already changed and was tying his own sneakers.

"Good. Ops. I feel hungry."

"As always… You're a little glutton." Saito formed a smirk.

"Heh, heh, heh." Netto chuckled.

A door they hadn't spotted before opened and two men clad in purple and gray suits while having gas masks colored silver came in while carrying handcuffs and black wool blindfolds: both gasped and stood up as if trying to fight back but one of them took out another of those soccer ball – sized objects.

"Don't move. Or else you get gassed." One warned.

"Turn around. Hands behind your back: and clasped together."

"What do we do…?" Saito whispered.

"Guess we gotta obey." Netto grumbled.

They slowly turned around and did as told: both men quickly handcuffed them and covered their eyes with the blindfolds before being brusquely turned around.

"Follow us. And no idiotic tricks, either. You'll regret it."

Both obeyed and noticed how they were led out into a corridor: their steps were muffled and the ground felt hard and dry so it supposedly was made of concrete.

"… Number 022! You stole my lighter!" Someone exclaimed in the background but not too far from them.

"Huh? Why would I, Number 013?" Someone else asked.

"To sell it to some heavy smoker for 5000 Zenny!" "Number 022" shot back with clear annoyance.

"Go fish." "Number 013" shrugged.

"Fight like a man!" "Number 022" challenged.

"Oh yeah?" "Number 013" shot back.

"Oh yeah!" "Number 022" taunted.

"Bring it on, twerp!" "Number 013" growled.

"By all the… 22 and 13 again! That's the fifth time in 10 days!" One of their "guides" complained.

"Jeez. Someone split them into different duties."

"Your aunt!" "Number 022" yelled.

"Your hide!" "Number 013" shot back.

"Your silly mask!" "Number 022" improvised.

"Look who is talking!" "Number 013" pointed out.

"Go rabbits!"

"Go Mandarin Duck!"

"STOP! HALT! ENOUGH! If this reaches Regal – sama's ears then your heads will roll across the ground!"

"Outta the way, Number 017!"

"Wha~t? Your beards!"

"WHAT BEARDS? WE DON'T HAVE BEARDS!"

"OH YEAH? AREN'T YA TWO HIDING THEM UNDER THE GAS MASKS TO BEGIN WITH?"

"By all the… This base is crazy. Where did Regal – sama recruit those jerks anyway, Number 014?"

"Guess former Yakuza, Number 038…"

"TAKE THIS! THAT! THAT ONE! EAT THIS! OMPH! HUFF! GRAH! GUH! WHY, YOU…!" The sounds of a quarrel rang out.

"By all the… What's this scandal?" Someone questioned.

"Ah! Demon King – sama!"

"Someone tell us the source of this ruckus?" Someone else asked.

"Demon Prince – sama!"

"Yeah, yeah! So?" "Demon King" asked.

"Well… The usual two, sires…"

"Those two again… Jeez. This is starting to look like a _Mortadelo y Filemón _comic book…" "Demon Prince" sighed.

"Oho. Our two "sleeping princes" are awake, S…"

"Oh yeah. Hadn't noticed, F… Good enough. We take over from this spot onwards. Good work. Go back and stop them already."

"Roger! Sires!"

"YOU TROLLING MOUTH!"

"YOU KICKING KICKER!"

"YOU PUNCHING PUNCHER!"

"BRING IT ON, TWERP!"

"You two! Halt already! Demon King – sama and Demon Prince – sama order that and you know their orders are equal in rank to those of Regal – sama~!"

"Behave like though guys!"

"YA WANNA BRAWL TOO, HUH?"

"NO~!"

CRASH! THUD! PATAF! OOF! SMASH! CRACK!

"Jeez." "Demon Prince" grumbled.

"So is that akin to a street fight or a pub fight?" "Demon King" asked with a giggle.

"Guess so! I'm not Mr. Wikipedia!" "Demon Prince" shrugged.

"Anyway… Let's go into our room and talk with our "guests"…"

Netto and Saito were lead to another room and the door was shut thus isolating all sounds from the outside: they were made to sit on their knees while they heard the sound of a robe brushing against someone's body and the slight squeak of a wooden structure close by.

"Welcome to Nebula. Hikari Brothers. You can start the FAQ." "Demon King" giggled.

"Jeez. That ain't funny." "Demon Prince" grumbled.

"Oh yeah? What's funnier? Those grunts' quarrels?"

"We'll settle that later."

"Where are we?" Netto decided to ask.

"Of course… Nebula's HQ. Mt. Fuji's mountaintop." "Demon Prince" calmly told them.

"Mt. Fuji's mountaintop! But the area had turned volcanic in recent times so it was supposed to be sealed up!" Saito argued.

"The Doc ain't intimidated so easily." "Demon King" shrugged.

"What do you want outta us and our father?" Netto demanded.

"The Doc is the one who wants something outta Hikari – hakase. Yet he is being somewhat… stubborn… on saying where that "something" is at."

"So? Do you want to use us as extortion or what?"

"More or less. Yet we have plans for you two."

"What "plans"?"

"You'll become our exclusive field agents… With some little training you will go and observe the movements of the ONBA… So that we can pick off any eyesores which might get on the way…"

"Do you think we'll cooperate so easily?" Saito questioned.

"You have no choice, you see. If you want to come outta this whole affair relatively unharmed… And if you want to avoid turning into what you fear the most, Rock Man…" "Demon King" trailed off.

"Heck." Netto cursed.

"Show your hides if you're men!" Saito taunted.

"We won't fall for those, ya see. This is for better dramatic effect. You will begin your training today in gun handling. But you're not gonna use real guns of course… Tranquilizer model guns which only make people fall asleep and dream of sheep…" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"Can't say that's bad but…"

"And resistance is pointless. Hikari Jr.! Intravenous nanomachines flow through your veins now … They're scattered all inside of your body and they can allow us to control your body actions at will!"

"What! Who gave you permission to insert weird stuff into my bloodstream?" Netto gasped.

"We don't need any."

"You lowlifes!" Saito growled.

"That's a weird word coming from you, Rock Man."

"… I have the feeling that I know your voice from somewhere, "Demon King"…!" Saito warned.

"Obviously." He calmly confirmed with what seemed to be a shrug.

"Huh? Then I know you from somewhere else!" He realized.

"Correct." He giggled.

"Oi, Saito – niisan… That "Demon Prince" over there… Doesn't he sound like you with a slight tune change?" Netto whispered.

"Yeah. This is starting to reek." He grumbled.

"Of Dior perfume?" "Demon King" giggled.

"Jeez. Your jokes are lame." "Demon Prince" was unimpressed.

"Don't tell me, _aibou_."

"I'm telling you, _partner_."

"Well, well. Let's stuff this on the terrific cupboard, shall we?"

"What "terrific cupboard"?" "Demon Prince" asked back.

CRASH!

"YOUR HAIRY FACE!"

"YOUR HAIRY MOUSTACHE!"

"YOUR HAIRY BEARD!"

"YOUR HAIRY HEAD!"

"YOUR HAIRY EYEBROWS!"

The sound of a door very close by being violently open rang out and they could clearly the heard the five-way-quarrel which had come inside of this room too.

"I bet 1000 for 23!"

"I bet 2000 for 11!"

"Bet, bet!"

"You guys!"

"Oh crap! The Two Royalties' room…!"

"What!"

"BEHAVE LIKE MEN OR I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU END UP REDUCED AS FOOD FOR THE MAGMA!" "Demon King" roared.

"Ya heard him! Flee, you bunch of grunts!"

"Uwa~h!"

"Jeez. We need to talk with the Doc but he'll shrug us again. He won't let anything distract him." "Demon King" growled.

"Someone intelligent! Escort them to the training grounds. The instructors should be there and if not recall them!" "Demon Prince" shouted out into the corridor.

"R-roger! Sires!"

"And be gentle, too. They're our VIP guests."

"R-roger! Sires!"

"And no brawls or we'll confiscate all of the alcohol."

"R-roger! Sires!"

"There's no rush but don't take 40 minutes to get there either."

"Enjoy~!" "Demon King" giggled.

"Let's go!"

Netto and Saito were made to stand up and they were led outside of the room and up the corridor they'd come from.

"And someone better go call a carpenter to fix this door too!"

"_Pepe Gotera y Otilio_?" "Demon King" asked.

"Heck no." "Demon Prince" cursed.

"_Rompetechos_?"

"No way! He'd create a catastrophe."

"Catastrophe Man then." "Demon King" joked.

"As far as I know there isn't any Net Navi with that name! Be serious, _partner_!" "Demon Prince" shot back.

"Stairway. Climb up." One of the masked men commanded.

They climbed up a stairway and the lower floor's voices became out of hearing range.

"Really… A five-way-brawl and everyone betting… In the end we Lieutenants have to do the grunts' work."

"Yeah. This place is crazy but at least the pay is good."

The two brothers ignored their talk and were seemingly thinking of something given their serious faces.

_I won't let some jerks control us as if we were their puppets! Once we find a way to… We'll break free! Just you wait! Saito – niisan and I will have our payback!_

_And we'll free Papa from Regal's clutches too! We won't let Regal get away with whatever the jerk is up to, either!_

_Together we fuse strength and become one!_

_And one can gain power from everyone else! _

_Laugh while you guys can! Once we combine our powers then we'll sweep the ground with you standing atop it…! The Hikari brothers' word!_


	3. Chapter 3: Trouble knocks at the door

**Chapter 3: Trouble knocks at the door**

13:09 PM (Japan Time), Monday March the 13th…

"… The panorama does not look nice, Enzan – sama, sir. Apart from the store owners there is no one else here, sir… And the lighting sure fits the mood, sir…"

"Hmpf. Bothersome Nebula… It'd seem they've sealed up Akihara Area 3 so we should go over there to check it out. Go, Blues."

"Roger, sir."

Blues EXE was making his way through the almost totally deserted Akihara Area 2: the lighting had changed to a tone of purple which seemed to denote gloom and dread: he soon found a Nebula Navi standing in front of some kind of door blocking the road to the next area.

"What do you want, punk? This area is under the control of us Nebula! Guys who come into our area just like that… will be deleted!" The Navi grumbled.

"Can you do it?" Blues challenged.

"Go! Viruses!"

"Hrah! Hah! Hyah! Hmpf. Rubbish. They didn't last even 15 seconds to begin with." Blues quickly sliced them with his Long Sword and then aimed it at the Navi.

"… Che! Stronger than I'd thought! So Navis like you are still left, huh? Well then, I guess I'll have to get serious too!"

"Come!"

The sound of a radio turning on rang out and the Nebula Navi stopped after he'd drawn a Long Sword of his own.

"Che. Return order from HQ… What… The scientist we brought from the Science Labs has woken up…?"

"What! You mean Hikari – hakase?"

"You know each other, then… My bad, but we're not gonna let go of that researcher so easily. That guy is a critical person needed four our strategy… Heh, heh, heh. Have at ya!"

The shield-like doorway lifted into the air and Navi ran away: Blues tried to give chase yet the doorway fell down and blocked the path: he growled something under his breath.

"Wait! Che! If I remove this door…!"

"Can't you try to attack it?" Enzan suggested.

"No good, sir. I hadn't noticed until now, yet… This door is filled with huge amounts of "Dark Power"… My sword won't suffice to break it, Enzan – sama." Blues reported.

"I see. We can't go further in." Enzan sighed.

"I shall not offer any apologies, sir."

The PET beeped and Blues retrieved an email which he read to then gasp in surprise.

"Enzan – sama! Mail, sir. From the Science Labs, sir. I will read it, sir. "News Bulletin! The Science Labs' Main System has been invaded by someone. If we don't hurry to halt the intruder, the Science Labs will be hijacked!" … No good, sir!"

"Che! Nebula…! Bothersome guys! We gotta put a halt to them while we can! Let's go, Blues!"

"Roger, sir!"

"Plug Out!"

Enzan retrieved Blues and rushed out of his IPC VP Office and down the emergency stairs into the street to then head into the Metro and quickly buy a ticket to ride in the first train.

_If those guys think they can do as they wish then they're very mistaken! Just you wait! As an "ace Net Battler"… I'll make raw meat outta you lowlifes!_

13:34 PM (Japan Time)…

"…How quiet…"

"W-we're doomed! We're unable to operate the Main System anymore! What should we do?"

Enzan ran into the lobby of the Science Labs and spotted one employee running out in panic from the 1st floor's door: he rushed up the stairs and checked the panel out.

"So the Main System is over there. Fine. Given that man's behavior then things are already critical. Let's go, Blues."

"Roger, sir."

"My Official ID should be enough to override this lock. And here seems to be the Main System!"

Enzan rushed inside and found the room with the "Main System" computer to be devoid of personnel: he then looked around and spotted the central control console.

"Weird. No – one's here."

"True, sir. Suspicious, sir. But we should try to find and neutralize that intruder. Please Plug – In, Enzan – sama."

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues transferred into the Cyber World's entrance and quickly spotted a trail left behind by the attacker.

"Mission start." Blues muttered.

"Delete any Viruses which get in the way." Enzan ordered.

"Roger, sir. Standard operating procedure, sir?"

"Obviously."

"Acknowledged."

"Go!"

"Move, move and move~! Hra~h! Hah! Hyah! Hah! Hra~h! This rubbish is no opponent for me!" Blues exclaimed as he rushed on forward having his Long Sword drawn.

He spotted some kind of puzzles which seemed to have been deactivated yet there were no Program – kuns around: he apparently frowned under the shades yet kept on forward until he reached the ramp leading to the control panel.

"Enzan – sama! I have located the Main System's control panel, sir." He reported.

"Well done. The intruder must be there. Your mission is to stop them but do not delete them: we could try to seize any useful information from them. Understood?" Enzan ordered.

"Please leave it up to me, sir."

Blues ran up the ramp yet there was no – one and nothing: he looked upwards yet there was nothing there either.

"Huh? I don't see anyone, sir." He muttered.

"Ambush, huh. Don't lower the guard." Enzan commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

"You've come, Blues. And Ijuuin Enzan." An unknown manly voice rang out of nowhere.

"Who…? Show your hide!"

Someone logged in and there was an intense white flash of light which forced Blues to bring up his sword arm to shield his shades from the sudden outburst of energy.

"Huh! What power!"

"No grunt, then." Enzan deduced.

"Grunts or not… I shall defeat them! The light is fading…! Who the hell are you lowlife?"

"I am Colonel… Blues… Let us check what you're made of, shall we?"

The Net Navi named "Colonel" was close to two meters tall in height.

His helmet had a triangle-like form which extended forward and included a small red triangle with golden rims on it: his ear pads had no drawing on them and black hair came out in pointed shape behind the partly open helmet.

His main body had a black suit which ended in Scottish skirt armor style.

The armor had high neck and his face was protected by a red-colored structure: there was a gap between the chest armor and the skirt around the stomach area and the emblem was set at the start of the skirt.

A yellowish-colored octahedron with a metallic gray circle was set there.

The circle had two small vertical squares colored black on the north and south ends complemented with a small rectangle on the middle of its surface: a gray-colored line formed around the upper edge of the skirt and then descended across the middle of it.

His shoulder pads which were placed at the sides of his shoulders were colored white and each had a small rectangle cavity on them.

His left wrist had a metallic bracelet which ended in a blade-shaped extension over the hand's palm while his right forearm had a red capsule-like object set on it from which a pale green saber emerged: the opening had four white-colored teeth-like pieces set around it.

Four pyramid-base-shaped yellowish shapes were drawn on the lower edge of the skirt: two per side.

The Navi also sported black boots with a thin gray-colored pattern bordering them which started a little below the knee and one small vertical yellowish rectangle slightly above of where the feet fingers ended.

He sported a blue silk cape which fell slightly short of reaching the ground and emerged from beneath his shoulders.

"Hmpf. So you've heard of me." Blues muttered.

"Let's go…" Colonel challenged by lifting his sword.

"A fight, then."

"Capture the enemy, Blues!"

"You will be deleted!"

"Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Colonel Cannon!"

"Huh! Fast!"

Colonel drew what looked like a long barrel on his right arm and shot a round of energy which Blues dodged just in time: Colonel suddenly morphed his right arm back into the sword.

"Screen Divide!"

He formed a triangle formation attack which Blues was able to block with his default shield: Colonel backed up and attacked again with the sword but Blues countered him with a Wide Sword and suddenly formed a grin to which Colonel frowned.

"Blues. Ready?"

"Ready, sir."

"Go, then."

Blues suddenly formed a column of energy within his hands which resembled a blade: Colonel gasped.

"The end. Dream Sword!"

"They didn't even have to announce it…! They can synchronize in the midst of a battle and strike with high power without warning at the enemy…! Ugo~h!"

The attack hit Colonel but he managed to shield some of its power by drawing his cloak: yet the force was enough to tire him out.

"Huff, huff… Colonel! What is you lowlife's goal?" Blues demanded while panting.

"…You pass, Blues." Colonel suddenly told him.

"I pass? What do you mean? And who is the Navi that infiltrated the Science Labs?" Blues sounded confused.

"… Let's discuss the details… Plug – Out and enter the room further inside…" Colonel told him.

He suddenly Plugged Out and Blues gasped yet he didn't move from his position and looked at Enzan's screen.

"Colonel…! Enzan – sama. What should I do, sir?"

"From the looks of it… Plug Out."

"Roger, sir."

Enzan retrieved Blues and headed for the door close by into another wide room which had plenty of computers and other devices: he was looking around in a distracted manner before looking on forward.

"… Come further in. I don't intend to harm you." A man called out from the end of the room.

"…Who…?"

"My name is Barrel… Even if I say I'm not a suspicious man, I must look like one to you."

The man named Barrel was standing behind a console and in front of a large LCD monitor: he looked on his thirties and his eyes' irises were brown: he had some traces of a recently shaved beard too and jet black hair which reached past the neck.

His overall height was about a meter and ninety approximately.

He sported an open jacket with brown patches of camouflage along with a gray jumper and jeans along with shoes plus a dog-tag hanging from his neck.

"… Barrel, you say…? Then… The Navi who sneaked into the Main System…" Enzan muttered.

"… You seem perplexed. Let me explain the circumstances of this incident… You now by know what's going in the Internet."

"Obviously." Enzan shrugged.

"That's why a "Net Navi Team" to free the taken over areas and dismantle the evil organization has been inaugurated… But if we went around recruiting members in an openly manner then we'd be telling the enemy what our strategy is about. That's why we're gathering members in the utmost of secrecies." Barrel exposed.

"I see. Then, today's incident…"

"True… Today's Main System intrusion incident was a test to check if you were fitting to become a member of our team. I staged it." Barrel openly admitted.

"Test, huh. Should've seen it coming…"

"Correct. And you've passed that test. Ijuuin Enzan and Blues. Join our "Team"." Barrel invited.

"A team, huh. I'd rather decline. I work alone." He suddenly turned around and stuffed his hands on the pockets.

"You're not interested in rescuing Hikari Yuuichirou?"

"Rescue Hikari – hakase? How much do you know?" Enzan looked over his right shoulder.

"Ijuuin Enzan. I'll say it again: join our "Team". And defeat the "Dark Chip Syndicate Nebula" which attacked the Internet and abducted your companion…" Barrel incited.

"Defeat Nebula, you say? So it was their work, after all. For a moment I thought someone might be trying to use them as cover. And the leader is…?" Enzan faced Barrel again.

_Silly question, I know._

"The evil scientist, Nebula's leader, Dr. Regal… The guy struck the first blow but we won't let him strike further than that so easily."

"Hmpf. Guess there's no other way around, huh? Alright. I'll join this so-called "Team"… For a while. I will admit that I don't like the idea of those guys using _that guy_ for their petty goals." Enzan shrugged.

"Good. Settled, then. Ijuuin Enzan. From now on… You're one of the "Nebula Suppression Unit", "Team of Colonel"! It's sudden, but… Tomorrow you're going to participate in a "Liberation Mission"…"

"…"Liberation Mission", you say…" He lifted his eyebrows.

"Correct. The "liberation" of an area taken over by Nebula… In short: a "release" strategy. Tomorrow we'll release Akihara Area 3 from Nebula's hands… Alright?" Barrel summed up.

"Fine."

"I'll contact you tomorrow to settle the strategy's time."

"Roger."

"And, also… Ijuuin Enzan. Don't speak without a good reason about this "Team"… Alright?" Barrel warned him.

"I don't mind."

"Good. You can go back already for today."

"…Mr. Barrel." Enzan suddenly called out as he turned around from facing the exit to face Barrel again.

"What's up?"

"That guy… I mean… Hikari… Is he alright?"

"I can't know that. But if there's one thing I can say is that there's no other way to free him and Hikari Yuuichirou apart from defeating Nebula. Got it?"

"Hmpf. Silly question… My soft side, guess… Blues. Let's go back already."

13:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… What? An intruder in the Science Labs, you say? No. I didn't send anyone. Why should I? Their Network is already under our control to begin with, "Demon Prince"…"

"Ah. Sorry to bother you, Dr. Regal. It was picking me: that's all… We'll continue with our strategy over here."

"Alright. Over."

"Demon Prince" had been talking with Dr. Regal over a radio while standing in what seemed to be an observation deck of a large room somewhere in the Nebula HQ: he was dressed in a black robe with a hood which hid his shape yet he didn't appeal to be much taller than a meter and fifty tall.

"Heh, heh, heh. There they are… Obviously Rock Man's aim is better and Netto – kun still needs to improve it yet they are getting the hang of it like it or not… They'll soon be ready to serve as night scouts for data retrieval and sabotage… Heh, heh, heh. Our strategy is so clever, really. And the Doc will end up benefiting from it, too." He muttered.

"Yo. Agent Figurinez came. Leave that of the "horrible things" up to me! I just need to tell them I was a friend of the "Beatles"!"

"_Partner_… That joke's lame."

"Demon King" was about ten centimeters or more taller than his colleague and wore a black robe with a hood as well: his voice sound slightly more grown-up too and sounded amused: "Demon Prince" seemingly didn't see the point of the joke.

"Let's bring over some feathered shoes."

"Not that of the feathered shoes again… It's so silly!"

"Who knows? Invent Feathered Shoes Man."

"Demon King" giggled while "Demon Prince" sighed.

… _This guy…! At least he doesn't like brawls…!_


	4. Chapter 4: Liberation

**Chapter 4: Liberation**

09:39 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday March the 14th…

"…You came. Today's mission will be just the two of us. And the area we are going to release today is Akihara Area 3: just ahead of us."

"… Roger."

Blues had met up with Colonel in front of the sealed up Nebula-controlled area pathway: Colonel looked calm and ready while Blues was scanning the surroundings.

_No grunts around here… They obviously aren't expecting anyone to break through that door…_

"…Ijuuin Enzan. By Nebula's actions, the Liberate Areas have access restrictions set on them. In areas taken over by Nebula, you're limited to one communication with the Navi. I will let you remotely Operate Colonel." Barrel told Enzan.

"You could've told me earlier." Enzan grumbled.

"My bad. But this time going hero alone won't do. We need to combine strengths."

"Fine. I'll do it."

"What I expected from the ONBA's "Ace Net Battler"… I won't say anything else. Colonel will brief you in." Barrel muttered.

"Ijuuin Enzan. Can you hear me?" Colonel called out.

"Of course."

"Like Barrel just told you over the phone… Today's mission involves your Operating skills. I'm counting on you."

"… Fair enough. Let's begin. We have no time to sit idle and chat, anyway." Enzan calmly replied.

_And I hate to admit it but I'm actually worried about that guy… I don't want to see him become a brainwashed fanatic of Nebula, either…_

"… Looks like you're ready, so… I'll instruct you on how to proceed with the "Liberation Mission"… Make your body remember it through practice… Let's go, Blues!" Colonel rallied.

"You can open that door, then." Blues guessed.

Colonel quickly performed his "Screen Divide" technique on the door and blew it up: Blues merely shrugged.

"Now the problem's been solved. Let's go!"

"Hmpf. Your power is something. Fine."

They rushed along the road and made it to Akihara Area 3: both Enzan and Blues gasped upon seeing how the majority of the area's tiled ground had been filled with some purple mud panels plus holes and some kind of four-legged red Virus with a shell on its back plus a feral face.

"What in the…!" Enzan cursed.

"Good. Well then. Let's begin the "Liberation Mission". This area is under sway of a "Darkloid" named Blizzard Man. If we defeat that guy then this area will be "released" and return to its former state yet… Have a look at that." Colonel told him.

He signaled the purple mud panels which seemed to give off an eerie vibe to them.

"Those are panels stained with "Dark Power", thus named "Dark Panels"… If we don't proceed by "liberating" those then we won't be able to reach Blizzard Man." Colonel explained.

"And how do we "liberate" mere panels?"

"Stand in front of one of them and input the "Liberate" command from the software Barrel sent you before the operation started… And when you do that then the Viruses hidden in that Panel will appear and trigger a battle. If you delete them then the "Liberation" will be over."

"Ah. I like that better. If I have to delete rubbish then you picked the right man. They don't get past the first turn." Blues calmly muttered.

"Hum. Apart from the "Liberate" command I have "Screen Divide"… And you also have a second command named "Long Sword"… It has the ability to "Liberate" a wider territory, but… See, there's a gauge in the upper right corner of the PET's screen… This is named "Order Points"… By using a special command you'll consume 1 of these points. When it becomes 0 then you can't use special commands. There are spots inside of the "Dark Panels" where you can get "Order Points"… It'd be wise to restock before moving on forward." He detailed.

"So there's more to it… Bothersome Regal. I'm sure he set this system up to make us waste time and energies before we can defeat the Darkloid in charge…!" Blues growled.

"Hum. Well then… Let's get towards there. Ijuuin Enzan. I'm leaving the Operating up to you."

"I know."

"If you wish to change the Navi being Operated then select one from the list. The Navis apart from Blues get just one characteristic Chip which can be used in the "Custom Screen"… My characteristic Chip is "Colonel Cannon"… Make sure to master its usage. And if you pick the "MAP" command then you can examine the whole area using imagery from the sensors…"

"That could be helpful to plan the route."

Enzan tried it out and spotted a "Darkloid" standing in the northernmost spot of the area and surrounded by "Dark Panels" which seemed to have some obstruction protecting him.

"That gotta be Blizzard Man…"

Blizzard Man didn't seem to be much taller than a meter and fifty.

His eyes' irises were red as well and he had two red ear pads: a ski cap was being worn atop his head and it had a blue band slightly above the forehead: the rest of it was colored orange.

His main body was round and both his arms and legs were short.

He had green skies attached to his blue ski boots' soils.

The shoulders, on the other hand, were colored sea blue.

His forearms had an orange rim at their start: his hands were covered in the classical white "skin": he held two ski sticks which had an orange handle on each one.

His upper body was colored orange until slightly beneath the chest emblem: there it formed a pattern reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "M" and colored sea blue: his lower body was colored white.

The chest emblem had a red rim and the drawing a white-colored snowman's silhouette without nose, mouth or eyes: the rest of the emblem was colored black and so were his arms and legs.

"There's another note. You must be careful not to "Liberate" in this spot… See, in the middle of that triangle…" Colonel signaled with his saber.

"That Regal…! Depending on the spot you stand you gain advantage or not in battle, you mean to say?" Enzan deduced.

"When "Liberating"… If there are a lot "Dark Panels" surrounding the Navi, then it'll be a batte in an adverse state… In this situation… The best strategy would be to try to "Liberate" either left of right from the lower right side…" Colonel advised.

"… Good. I'll say "thanks" for the time being. Enough time wasted already… Go, Blues!"

"Roger, sir."

"Well then, let's begin. The targeted "Liberation" is within 7 Phases. If we can free this area within 7 Phases, we may get a Rare Chip from the Officials as a reward. Well then. I'm counting on you!"

"Gotcha. Not gonna let such a chance slip by…" Enzan calmly muttered.

Blues headed over to one of the "Dark Panels" and Enzan brought up the action menu which included the options "Liberate", "Long Sword", and "Do nothing" so he picked "Liberate": the panel was highlighted.

"Wait, Ijuuin Enzan." Colonel called out.

"What the heck. There's more?" Enzan cursed.

"… "Liberation" has some spots which differ from the usual "Virus Busting"… You must annihilate the enemies within 3 Turns."

"Rega~l! You lowlife~!" Enzan growled in clear annoyance.

"Yeah. And that's why when the Custom Gauge becomes filled it'll enter the Custom Screen automatically. But, in exchange, if you can annihilate the enemy in 1 Turn, then you can also "Liberate" the whole of the surrounding "Dark Panels"…"

"Phew! At least one advantageous thing…!" He sighed in relief and seemed to be glad of hearing it.

"Another point I slightly spoke of earlier… Regarding the situation of an adverse battle when surrounded by "Dark Panels"… You can meet pincer attacks by the enemy in that situation too… When meeting that situation, you can use the "Direction" command in the PET's screen to change the Navi's orientation."

"Hum. Given how the usual buttons for the Custom Screen can't be used then you recycle them…" Enzan realized.

"Well then, go on ahead." Colonel encouraged.

"Go! Liberate Panel!"

"Come! Rubbish! Hrah! Hyah! Hah! Gra~h! Hah!" Blues challenged before starting to fight them.

"…"Liberation" completed." Enzan immediately reported.

In effect: the panel reverted to normal and Blues lowered his sword while the sliced and diced Viruses were deleted: Colonel nodded in agreement and seemed to like the battling style.

"Looks like you got a hold of the feeling. Well then. I'll now explain about the "Dark Holes"…" Colonel called out to Blues.

"…"Dark Holes" now?"

"Look at those." Colonel ordered.

He signaled the pit-like panel surrounded by purple edges and spawning some purple gas spores: the four-legged beast was standing close to it as if protecting it.

"That's a "Dark Hole". If we don't "Liberate" all "Dark Holes" then we won't be able to battle the "Darkloid"… That thing in the field is a guardian created by the "Dark Hole"…" Colonel reported.

"Get rid of the watchdogs, then, and delete their foul hole." Enzan muttered with a hint of amusement.

"The guardian can attack nearby opponents. If it does that, then we'd get greatly damaged. We could try to have those deleted before the "Darkloid Phase"… Or we could try "Liberate" the "Dark Hole" at once… We'll have to choose one or the other." Colonel exposed a course of action.

"No watchdogs are gonna save them from Blues' sword." Enzan calmly muttered.

"Well then. My turn."

"Liberate Start!"

"Colonel Cannon! Screen Divide! Hah!"

"Not bad. "Liberate" completed…" Enzan formed a smile once he saw how quickly Colonel defeated the opponents.

"However! Both of us have completed actions. Our "Phase" is over and the "Darkloid Phase" is now going to happen. The enemy can spawn new "Guardians", move them from position or have them attack us. We must be careful to save up HP if possible." Colonel warned next as he glanced at Blues.

"This area is gonna be revamped into an exclusive Nebula ski slope! You won't get in the way!" Blizzard Man called out.

"Ski slope, huh." Enzan didn't look impressed.

"I think that one is rather incompetent and they told him to handle an area of lesser importance…" Colonel shrugged.

"Our "Phase" again… Let's check out these commands. Two panels in a row, so… Long Sword! I'll use 1 Order Point!"

"Roger, Enzan – sama! Come! Viruses!"

"Battle Chip, Wide Blade, Long Blade! Double Slot In!"

"Out of the way!" Blues yelled.

He disposed of another group of Viruses while also taking care of covering his back and sighed in relief.

"There goes more rubbish." Enzan announced.

"Hum. Splendid. It'd seem you've gotten rather used to it." Colonel muttered as he looked around.

"Obviously."

"Were the Navi's HP to be low then you can skip dangerous "Liberation" by choosing the "Do nothing" command… You'll be resting for 1 Turn but you'll be able to recover some HP."

"Hum. I'll have it on mind. Huh? Colonel. What's that panel with a "?" sign on it?" Enzan asked.

"I don't know about that either, yet… From what I can see, it might trigger some event or another. Besides that, I've heard that there are panels from which you get Chips and others in which the HP will recover."

"… That could be convenient. If needed, we can "Liberate" it as well, then…" Blues looked interested.

"That's what it means. I don't think there's any need to pointlessly "Liberate" panels yet I'll leave that decision up to you."

"Sure." Enzan confirmed.

"My turn. Screen Divide! Now! Come! Hrah! Hah! I know all of your weak points and reaction speed! You can't hope to trick me! Hah!"

"I like that style already." Enzan grinned.

"We're coming closer… Now we're close to the action radius of the Darkloid so he will most likely attempt an attack in the next round as well… Be careful!" Colonel warned.

"Shiver from the snow's coldness! Snow Ball!"

Some "Snow Balls" fell down from the air and landed around Blizzard Man yet both Blues and Colonel were out of the action radius: they grinned and drew their weapons.

"I'll go first. If I cannot do it in 3 Turns then you go next. His HP value is 400 so we should be able to call it in one attack if either of us can come up with a Dream Sword." Colonel announced.

"Sure. I don't want to just handle rubbish."

"… Hyururu~! If ya could come all the way here then… You're not bad at all!" Blizzard Man laughed when Colonel faced him.

"Answer me this: where is Rock Man?" Colonel questioned.

"Huh? Rock Man? Oh yeah. "Demon King" and "Demon Prince" had plans for that guy and his Operator but I dunno what "plans"… Not like I need to know but one is fond of rumors." Blizzard Man shrugged.

"Demon King? Demon Prince? Is there someone else in Nebula apart from Regal?" Blues demanded.

"That's Regal – sama for ya! And I dunno who the heck they are but Regal – sama said that they are equal in rank to him so if they tell us "do that and that" then we do it!" Blizzard Man replied.

"I don't think he knows anything else of use." Enzan settled.

"…Darkloid Oppression Unit: Team of Colonel! Blizzard Man! You lowlife will be deleted!" Colonel announced by drawing his sword.

"Hyururu~! Not gonna~! I'm gonna turn ya into ice pickles!"

"Looks like there's no other way but to demonstrate our skill…"

Colonel shrugged and got into a fighting stance.

"Ijuuin Enzan! Handle the Operating!"

"Finally! A worthy adversary...! Go!"

"Snow Rolling!"

"Colonel Cannon!"

"Uack! T-this JERK…!"

"Hmpf."

Blizzard Man turned into a snow ball and began to roll down the field yet Colonel intercepted him and performed a "Screen Divide" attack as well so Blizzard Man had to step back while grumbling.

"Snow Ball!"

"Mark Cannon!"

Blizzard Man kicked a "Snow Ball" towards Colonel yet he locked on Blizzard Man and shot him thus catching him unaware.

"Buster Up! Mark Cannon!"

"Whack!"

"2nd turn is about to end… But we've taken out over half of the enemy's HP so we can still push it a bit more…" Colonel muttered.

"… Last turn yet… Did it. Go, Colonel!" Enzan grinned.

"As you wish!" Colonel confirmed.

"No way~!" Blizzard Man seemed to guess what was gonna happen given his face of pure terror.

"Dream Sword!"

"Hyu~h! Wah, wah, wa~h! No way…! I've lost…! Uwa~h!"

The Dream Sword split Blizzard Man in half: he was deleted so all "Dark Panels" got erased: the area's color shifted from blue to a brownish tone.

"We did it, Enzan – sama, sir."

"… "Liberation" complete… Now Akihara Area is already alright. But even if we've "released" Akihara Area we can't get optimistic. We've "released" just one piece of the Internet occupied by Nebula… The battle has barely begun!" Colonel told them.

"Obviously."

"You will be contacted once we form a scheme regarding the next mission… Until then you're free to as you please." Colonel announced to them.

He retreated from the area and Blues took a last look around before switching off his Long Sword and looking at Enzan's screen: he was wiping the sweat off with a handkerchief.

"Enzan – sama, sir."

"Good work. Plug Out." Enzan congratulated.

"Roger, sir!"

Blues returned into his new-model PET and Enzan placed it on the charger while stretching backwards and letting out a yawn: he stood up and headed over to a water fountain to pick some water and drink it up as if to relieve his thirst: he then looked out at the landscape.

_This was hard. And it's only gonna turn harder. We can't lower the guard at all. That "Darkloid" was a weakling. There must be more powerful ones out there…!_

"…I guess these things will be turning harder and harder as we advance and that just the 2 of us won't suffice. But I recognize Colonel as a strong man… Regal… Stick out you lowlife's neck!" Enzan muttered aloud.

"Well said, Enzan – sama, sir! That lowlife may believe we are powerless but we are far from that, sir!" Blues looked animated.

_Regal! We'll find out where you are hiding at and then we'll settle the score with you lowlife…! Get ready!_

10:11 AM (Japan Time)…

"…Those Official dogs have started moving… Yet the attacks at the Internet were no more than one piece of the strategy… Go on and see how you fare like… Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Dr. Regal was standing inside of what seemed to be some kind of control room in the Nebula HQ: a gigantic LCD screen was built in the wall right in front of him plus a control console underneath it: the ground had the "Nebula" logo drawn on it and three prism-shaped showcases had been erected on the left side of the room and one of them contained the three stolen PETs belonging to Yaito, Dekao and Meiru.

"Regal – sama. The preparations are complete, sir." One masked man reported as he rushed in.

"Understood… I'll go there ASAP." He acknowledged.

"The factory is making glory~!" Someone sang.

"What's that?" Dr. Regal questioned.

"I believe Number 028, sir…"

"Whatever. Don't mind them." He ordered.

"Roger, sir! Do excuse me."

"… Heh, heh, heh… The strategy is progressing nicely…"

"The factory is making a city~!"

"Oi! 028! Stop already. Or else Regal – sama will get annoyed at ya for bothering his private time!" Someone whispered yet the room seemed to echo voices.

"Man. Ya always steal all the fun outta me, 013."

"Be quiet!" "Number 013" whispered next.

Dr. Regal seemingly ignored them as he climbed down a set of steps and formed an evil smile across his face while chuckling under his breath and looking eager…

10:24 AM (Japan Time)…

"… What did ya say? Akihara Area 3's Commander Blizzard Man was done in by Blues and another Net Navi? What the heck? What could this mean, _partner_? Where did that other Navi come out from?"

"I dunno. But Akihara Area 3 was no big deal. And we can always increase security to make intrusion into other areas harder for them. Maybe we should send someone as scout? Those two, for example?"

"But the hypnosis radio signal device ain't ready yet! I need another day at the least."

"Oh lovely. Guess I'll have to give you a hand: we need to have that ready faster than I thought given the base's grunts behaviors…"

The two conspirers, "Demon Prince" and "Demon King", were talking while they observed from the lookout gallery the progress of both Netto and Saito while they were made to escalate a wall using magnetic gloves and sandals: both had sunglasses on and one of the masked men was apparently commanding them while another two had the gas guns ready and were standing nearby.

"Fair enough. They will most likely target Oran Island Area next. But access won't be so easy given how the connecting road between Akihara and Oran is still under repair." "Demon Prince" sounded slightly relieved.

"My boat has a mast!" Someone sang nearby.

"You. Who gave you permission to come into the training room? You reek of vodka, too. And your mask isn't properly adjusted! Oi! Security Squad 02! Bring this imbecile to the rehabilitation room!"

"Roger."

"My train will rain!"

"Catchy." "Demon King" giggled.

"Jeez." "Demon Prince" grumbled.

_Now we have drunkards as well. Is this a fools' ship or what?_


	5. Chapter 5: Scouting

**Chapter 5: Scouting**

12:44 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday March the 15th…

"… Enzan – sama. The auto-phone, sir…"

"The "Liberation Mission" of yesterday was a job well done."

"So? Where's the next mission?"

Enzan had been working on something on his IPC VP Office when Barrel contacted him: he kept on having that dull face and his voice was as dull as ever.

"No, today it's another important matter. Now that Akihara Area has been freed from Nebula's hands, I'd like you to patrol and check if any remains of Nebula are gathering around there: we want civilian Navis to come and go freely." He told him.

"Blues can handle that alone." Enzan calmly replied.

"And, also… Go to the deepest spot in Akihara Area 3 and report on wheter the repair work of the severed Network is ongoing or not as well. If you ask the Program handling the repair work then it'll surely tell you the progress of the work." Barrel commanded.

"Good. I'll send Blues there."

"I'm counting on you." Barrel simply finished.

Enzan sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he seemingly concentrated before opening them again.

"…Blues. You know what do." He told him.

"Certainly, sir."

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues entered the IPC server and quickly moved through the connecting ramps and Warp Points until he reached the outer gate: two security Navis had already unlocked it and were saluting as Blues rushed past them and ran out into the Internet…

12:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Are you the Program in charge of the Network's repairs?"

"YES, SIR! TRUE, SIR!"

Blues was talking with a Program – kun in the road leading beyond Akihara Area 3.

"Is the repairing proceeding as scheduled?" He questioned.

"…YES, SIR! I AM DOING MY BEST, SIR! IT STILL WILL TAKE A WHILE TO REPAIR BUT THE WORK IS PROCEEDING NICELY, SIR!" He reported back with his classical frozen smile.

"Fine. That's all I needed to know. All that's left is to file a report." Blues muttered.

"Leave that to me."

He dialed Barrel's number and he appeared on-screen almost immediately: he was obviously waiting for this call.

"Me… "

"Mr. Barrel. Report. No remains of Nebula are to be seen. The repairs are proceeding as scheduled." Enzan summed up.

"I see. Gotcha. Head back… Good work."

Enzan stretched and stood up as he shut down the computer and picked the PET with Blues inside of it.

"There are reports of something going on in the abandoned Oran Island so I better go check it out… I'll rent a boat. Blues."

"Please leave it to me, sir."

Blues departed the PET while Enzan came out of his office and locked it while humming a tune: he then climbed down the emergency stairways unaware of a presence watching his movements.

_While _aibou _works on the machine… I'll do scouting. Get ready, Ijuuin!_

15:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"…This Island is currently inhabited yet it used to be a mine coal several years ago, sir."

"Hum. An abandoned island… Ideal for a base…"

Enzan had parked his boat next to a wharf and stepped into the main area of the island: plants were overgrowing everywhere, a rusted speaker post with a control panel stood nearby and there were a set of tracks leading further inside: a river flowed close by and two small beaches had formed close to the wharf: trees grew in abundance.

"Mail, sir. From Mr. Barrel, sir. Orders, sir."

"Hum… "Orders… The next mission will happen in Oran Island Area 3. To carry out the mission ASAP, you'll do a preliminary survey. Head over to the Internet's Oran Island Area 1. I'll send Colonel in later."…" Enzan read aloud.

"Then please send me to meet up with Colonel, sir."

"Yeah. If we can start the next mission today then we'll make quick progress…" Enzan muttered.

He didn't spot the "presence" spying on him from close by and giggling under his breath.

_Been a while, Ijuuin… Well. Truth to be said… We've never met and I haven't had any fighting with Blues yet… Whatever. _Aibou_ can handle anything over there and I'm gonna try to find out who this "Mr. Barrel" guy is supposed to be… Maybe the Doc knows something._

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

_Struggle all you desire, Ijuuin. But as much as Blues tries one day I will gain my personal goal… But it's still early. Let some time pass… And even if you can bring down the Doc that won't mean the end of everything because we'll still be around, see._

The "presence" giggled under his breath again…

15:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… The stage for the next mission is ahead of us."

"Colonel. You came."

Blues met up with Colonel in the Internet: Oran Island Area had the same lighting and feeling to it as when Akihara Area had been before it had been "Liberated" by them the day before.

"It'd seem that, because of the previous mission's happenings, Nebula's vigilance has been strengthened… There's no other route to go further in save this road… There's only action we can do… Rush straight ahead!"

Blues gasped upon seeing three gigantic turrets with three muzzles each which could apparently rotate and were set to block their way: he assumed a combat pose along with Colonel.

"Can't be helped."

"Go~!"

Both ran forward but the guns began to bombard them so Colonel brought out his cape to shield him and Blues used his shield: the barrage forced them to recoil until they returned to the entrance.

"What a barrage! We can't proceed on forward!"

"… To break through this spot we'll need to guard against that barrage… But even I am uncapable of that, so how are we going to guard against that barrage…? It'd be wiser to pull out for the time being. Blues. Plug – Out." Colonel muttered.

"If we can't get past that barrage then we can't begin the next mission, huh. Maybe we should do some research, Enzan – sama." Blues suggested to Enzan.

"Sounds intelligent. I'll explore this island just to check if Nebula is using it as a base or not and then head back to the mainland. I don't want to pointlessly waste my time." Enzan settled.

"Acknowledged."

15:27 PM (Japan Time)…

"… The old coal mines, huh. They sure look fitting to house a temporary base or a storehouse. Let's check the insides just in case…"

Enzan followed the tracks and stopped in front of a mountain which had been thoroughly excavated with plenty of entrances and connecting ramps being present in the structure.

"Roger, Enzan – sama. However, I have no map data regarding this facility, sir…" Blues apologized.

"No worries. I brought fluorescent chalk along. I can always draw marks in the walls and I have a dynamo flashlight too." Enzan relieved Blues with a smile.

"Roger, sir."

Enzan stepped inside and began to walk up a corridor when he stumbled upon a locked door so he studied it.

"Blues. How do I open this?" He questioned him.

"I shall use my Official ID, sir. All locks are designed to be released by using it, sir."

"Fine. I don't wanna take forever."

The door unlocked and Enzan kept on moving yet he had to stop from time to time because some earthquakes were ringing out in the area.

"Earthquakes are coming up one after the other. Weird. Is something going on? Is someone trying to open a new tunnel using explosives or what?" He wondered aloud.

"I cannot know, sir. The radar signals are inefficient in this largely closed space. It'd seem there's some material blocking out radio and radar signals as well, sir." Blues reported.

"Obviously. You don't open a coal mine in vain: there had to be coal which was worth it but it surely became too expensive to be bought and the mining couldn't continue." Enzan shrugged.

He reached an elevator platform and turned the switch on to climb down and reach the entrance of a wide room having a gigantic-sized drill machine set on the middle of it with four electronic boxes connected to it and placed on the corners of the walkway surrounding it.

"A large-scale drill…! So this is the cause of the earthquakes… Someone is operating it!" He muttered while sounding surprised.

"…Halt! No good… They won't hear to what I say!" A voice rang out while sounding hysterical.

"Who goes there? I am an Official Net Battler! Do you have the owners' permission to operate that drill? If not, halt it immediately and ID yourself!" Enzan called out.

He spotted a woman on her early 20s standing atop the drill machine and typing into the control console: she appealed as being over a meter and sixty or maybe closer to a meter and seventy tall.

Her blonde hair was neatly arranged into two ponytails and she had sapphire blue eye irises.

She sported a shoulder stripe suit colored brown over a white blouse and pants along with trekking boots thus giving her somewhat of a "farmer" appearance.

"…Ijuuin Enzan…! Aren't you Ijuuin Enzan? It is me: Pride!" She introduced herself.

"Pride…? Cream Land's Princess Pride, the Gospel agent who infiltrated the ONBA meeting? Why are you here?" He gasped.

"Truth is… Cream Land is advancing in the new-model PET development. And I got told by some info that the alloy needed for the new-model PET's development, called "Magne Metal", could be picked in abundance in this island so I came to mine… " She explained in a rush.

"Well. I don't see a problem with that… But could you try to stop the drill? Or else this mine could collapse." Enzan suggested.

_Yeah. I wouldn't like that either, Ijuuin… Go female. Heh, heh, heh!_

"But… I cannot halt it! My Navi, Knight Man, entered the drill to operate it and mine, but he's received the effects of the powerful EM emission caused by the "Magne Metal" so Knight Man's gone berserk!" Pride admitted.

"Berserk! THE Knight Man has gone berserk! So how do we stop this drill, then?" Enzan gasped.

"There is a control box right ahead of you. If you Plug – In into those control boxes' and press the control switch in their Cyber Worlds then the safety device will start up. There are a total of 4 control boxes… If all of their safety devices can be started then the drill should halt." Pride instructed him as she signaled the boxes.

"Can't be helped, huh. But it's my duty to solve trouble, so… Blues. You heard what has to be done."

"Roger, sir. Please perform the Plug – In, sir."

"I'm counting on you, Ijuuin…"

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

"Out of the way, Viruses! Huh! Conveyor belts… Hmmm? A program… It'd seem it's designed to fight back the boulders being transported by those conveyor belts…" Blues muttered once he reached the Cyber World and began to rush across it.

_Heh, heh, heh. This looks interesting. Go on, Buruusu~!_

"… Was there someone there…? My imagination…? There's no time! I have to hurry! Hrah!"

Blues jumped across the area and dodged or broke all obstacles in a rush before he reached the safety switch: he pressed it and the drill slowed down by a certain amount.

"I have found the control switch for the excavating machine, sir!"

"Good. One safety device activated. Plug Out, Blues."

"Roger, sir."

"Next!"

"Make way!"

Blues repeated the earlier strategy yet this Cyber World was somewhat larger than the other one so he took some extra seconds to make it to the safety switch which he pressed.

"This should slow the drill down."

"Two done. Let's go for the third one. Yet this silly layout of the Cyber World is starting to annoy me." Enzan muttered.

_Heh, heh, heh. So you'd rather have another face-off with one of our controlled areas to this, Ijuuin and Blues?_

"Truly, sir."

"Third one! Go!"

"Hrah! Rubbish! Che! What bothersome design… I'm taking forever to dodge the boulders and follow the roads…!" Blues growled in clear annoyance.

"I'll find out the maker of these and boycott them." Enzan muttered in an icy tone of voice.

"Third one, sir. We're coming closer, sir…!"

"Fair enough. About bloody time." Enzan cursed.

"Please head for the last one, sir."

"Knight Man will be there. Be careful. The guy's "Breaker" and you are "Sword" so you're at an elemental disadvantage." Enzan warned Blues as he rushed to the last box.

"Acknowledged, sir."

"Go! Plug In!"

_Heh, heh, heh. So we're gonna reach the climax soon enough, Blues and Ijuuin? Come!_

"…Halt the drill!"

"Guo~h…"

"Knight Man! This is an order! Halt the drill!"

"Guo~h…!"

Blues had reached the last safety switch yet Knight Man was standing in the middle and didn't seem to understand Blues' words or be able to properly reason.

"As expected… He can't understand me."

"Blues! Stop Knight Man! If we keep at this then the whole mine will collapse upon us!" Pride pleaded.

_Don't wanna that to happen either…_

"Guo~h… GUO~H!"

"Enzan – sama, sir! Coming, sir!"

"Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"GUO~H!"

_Heh, heh, heh! Show me a passionate battle!_

"… Blues! When Knight Man turns into "Stone Body" he's immune to any attacks! Wait for him to attack: he can shoot the "Wrecking Ball" at the ceiling and make three sets of three boulders each fall down as well as shoot the "Kingdom Crusher" straight ahead or jump forward while landing and cracking panels… His charged attack has limited range and it includes all of his surrounding panels!" Pride listed in a rush to help Blues out.

"Acknowledged. Earthquake!"

"Guo~h!"

"Dodge the boulders, Blues!"

"Roger, sir! Area Steal! Wide Blade!"

"Guo~h!"

"Hum? Huh… Ah! Nothing…" Blues suddenly muttered.

"What's wrong, Blues?" Enzan asked of him.

"No big deal, sir… I thought someone was spying on me but I can't get distracted now, sir…! Please bring up the new strategy, sir!"

"Alright! Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"Eat this! Snap out of it, Knight Man!"

"GUO~H!"

"You did it! His HP has lowered to the critical mark: this should stop his movements!" Pride exclaimed.

_Not bad. But that won't be enough to best me. Only Rock Man has that honor yet… To be honest… He has never fought me directly in a serious battle… Complicated, I know, given how history has flowed here… But this is how it is, you see. Heh, heh, heh._

"…Uh… Ugh… W-what was I…?" Knight Man muttered.

"So you've snapped outta it." Blues muttered.

"Knight Man! Hurry it up and press the stop switch!"

"Acknowledged, Pride – sama… Stop switch, on… Pride –sama, I have halted the drill." He confirmed.

"Thank you, Knight Man. Plug Out."

"Your will!"

"Phew! We're still alive… somehow! The mine seems to remain stable, though…" Pride sighed and looked tired from the stress.

"Yeah. Guess I managed to make it on time… Blues! Plug Out!"

"Roger, sir!"

"I'll go check the lower room to see if it's holding something related to Nebula. We'll speak later, Princess."

"Roger…"

Enzan came out through the other door and descended to the deepest room: he spotted a control panel and aimed the PET at it.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

"I shall press the door switch, Enzan – sama."

Blues came inside of the control panel and spotted the release switch which he pressed: an alarm suddenly rang out.

"ILLEGAL OPERATION HAPPENING! STARTING SECURITY SYSTEM!"

"What! T-that's…!"

Boulders began to rain down and roll towards Blues who looked like he'd be unable to react in time yet Knight Man suddenly came in and spread his arms to shield Blues.

"Nuo~h!"

"Knight Man…! You…!" Blues gasped.

"Stay still…!" He exclaimed.

The boulders stopped raining down and they both sighed in relief as Knight Man looked around.

"It'd seem the security system has stopped…"

"… For the time being I'll say "thanks"." Blues settled.

"This is my gratitude: you snapped me out of my berserk status… I must, as knight, return the favor… That's obvious. The favor-returning's over by now. The cybernetic lock has been released. Go check the room." Knight Man calmly told him.

"… I shall offer no apologies, Enzan – sama, sir...! I have lowered my guard, sir!" Blues apologized.

"We're not perfect, Blues. Plug Out." Enzan settled.

"Roger, sir."

"I will say "thanks" for the time being."

"… You needn't treat me to "thanks"… Go on ahead with your investigation." Pride smiled at him.

"Hmpf."

Another earthquake rang out and they looked around in fear: Pride was checking the ceiling.

"Uh-oh. That place is starting to get unstable. But from what I can see there's nothing there, so I'd rather flee."

"Yeah. Guess my hunch was wrong." Enzan admitted.

_And it was. This place isn't convenient enough: it's two hours away from the mainland and it ain't like we can teleport at will._

"Enzan – sama. The auto-phone, sir." Blues reported.

"Me… The Nebula Navis who are controlling Oran Island Area are seemingly staging a new attack into Akihara Area… "

"W-what did you say?"

"… Yeah…. If we don't halt Nebula's movements before the attack begins… We don't have a countermeasure to Oran Island Area 1's defenses yet it ain't like we're gonna just sit there and watch it unfold… We're gonna start the mission right now. Head over to Oran Island Area 1 for the moment…" Barrel sighed before he issued an order.

"… Che! The problem is guarding against the Oran Island Area 1's defenses' attacks, though…! Guard…? I see…! Princess! Won't you lend me power?" Enzan suddenly asked her.

"Lend you power? What do you mean?"

_Tell your admirer what's going on, yeah. And that Barrel guy's info is true: I let it out in purpose to get you guys nervous._

"… The Internet is being controlled by a bunch of lowlifes named "Nebula"… So I joined a "team" the goal of which is to free the taken over areas. We're going to fight back those lowlifes yet we're in need of Knight Man's power." Enzan explained.

"I see… Well… If that is the case… Then I will gladly lend you power. Is that fine for you, Knight Man?" Pride asked of him.

"Your will!"

"I don't know if I will be helpful but when you need to then contact Knight Man."

"Alright. Head to Oran Island Area 1. I'm counting on you." Enzan looked slightly animated.

"Same thing over here: please go ahead."

_Heh, heh, heh. So you can now enter Oran Island Area… Fine. Show me a good show and prove your power to me. Those two guys' training should be almost complete so we're gonna send them to the Waterworks tonight to make preparations for an inside take-over… Heh, heh, heh. Rock Man can't do anything now that he's trapped in the "Copy Roid" and Hikari Jr. can be easily subdued by his internal intravenous nanomachines…_

"… By the way, Blues… You said you felt like someone was spying on us a while before, right? Can you still feel it?"

"… No, sir. Yet… When I felt it… I noticed a tremendous power signature, sir… It was no grunt, sir… Someone very powerful… Maybe one of the "Darkloids" of Nebula was scouting around here…"

"Sounds logical…"

_Your guess is not half-bad but I was stalking and I ain't a "Darkloid" per se although _aibou_ could be called one. Heh, heh, heh. Make me enjoy this afternoon, guys._

"Good! Get ready, Nebula! We're coming for you!"

_Heh, heh, heh… Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Come! Ijuuin! Blues!_


	6. Chapter 6: Prelude to banquet

**Chapter 6: Banquet's prelude**

15:49 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday March the 18th…

"…You came…"

"Obviously. I found a way to overcome those defenses."

"What! Really?"

Blues had met up with Colonel in the same spot as a while ago and relayed the news: Colonel was surprised and even more when Knight Man came in from behind him and faced the turrets.

"So I should cover you from the attacks of the defenses."

"Knight Man. He has high defense strength." Blues introduced.

"Knight Man… The Navi of Cream Land's princess, huh. Interesting. Will you show me your true strength?" He sounded intrigued.

"Hum! Just witness and contemplate!"

"Blues! Let's go!" He rallied.

"Roger."

"Knight Man. Rush in on my signal. While you take in the defenses' attacks I will destroy the defenses." Colonel briefed.

"Understood!"

"Let's go. 3, 2, 1… Strategy Start!"

They rushed forward but Knight Man was doing a good job of taking in all salvoes without being hurt at all.

"Wuo~h!"

"Chance! Screen Divide!"

The attack hit the turrets and they were destroyed so they all sighed in relief.

"Impressive hardnes…"

"Those were like being bitten, anyway…"

"Heh, heh, heh… Follow me! Mission start!"

"My blood is stirring!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"A new mission… Let's show those lowlifes what stuff we're made of, Blues." Enzan grinned.

"Roger, sir."

_Heh, heh, heh. Yeah, yeah. Show me! Go ahead!_

The group rushed inside of the area which was wider and there was a new type of "guardian" Virus shaped like a hawk which could fly over the terrain.

"This area is being controlled by a winged "Darkloid"… The "Boss" is that man over there."

"I remember that lowlife… Shade Man!"

"Ki, ki, ki… Been a while, Blues! Certainly… I have splendidly achieved resurrection through the "Dark Power" …!"

Shade Man kept on looking as he'd done when Blues had met him over a month ago: he had folded his wings and was calmly hovering over the ground while having a smug smile on his face: Blues formed a grimace and looked annoyed while Shade Man chuckled under his breath.

"That guy is the culprit behind the "Dark Chip" spreading. We can't let him run away. What we certainly can't overlook is that guy's flying ability… When that guy is in "Darkloid Phase" he can strike from anywhere in the area." Colonel warned the group.

"… And we'd be receiving a big deal of damage in one blow, then!" Blues grumbled and folded his arms.

"No… Now we have a Navi with excellent defenses." Colonel smiled and glanced at Knight Man.

"If you stay by my side then I can block all incoming attacks!"

_Show it to me… Shade Man! If you notice me then act like I wasn't here or else the whole suspense will be ruined…_

Shade Man seemed to notice the "presence" given how he discreetly glanced towards the NNW but soon faced forward again.

"Hmpf… Reliable guy! Well then! Let's go! The targeted "Liberation" is to happen within 9 Phases. I'm counting on you!"

"I go first! Long Sword! Hrah! Hyah! Hah! 1 Turn Liberate!"

"Good job! Screen Divide! There! I retrieved some Order Points. Remember to try to free panels hiding items if they are close by and doesn't mean a waste of time." Colonel advised.

"Hra~h! That flying Virus can only be hit when it attacks by landing in a straight line!" Knight Man warned.

"Our "Phase" is over… But with Knight Man in front of us then Shade Man can't harm us." Colonel muttered.

"You'll get into trouble if you go and underestimate the "Darkloids"!"

Shade Man warped and tried to hit Colonel but hit Knight Man instead and inflicted no damage so he returned to his position while grumbling under his breath.

_Not bad, guys…_

"Let's continue! Liberate Dark Hole! Come! Monster! Hrah! Hah! Slow! I'm faster! Eat sword!" Blues exclaimed.

"Good job! Let's keep on forward: there are another two "Dark Holes" left still…! Colonel Cannon! Screen Divide!"

"Kingdom Crusher! Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"Ki, ki, ki… Why don't we have some fun?" Shade Man chuckled.

He moved the monsters around and they tried to attack the group yet failed yet again thanks to the defensive power of Knight Man so Shade Man began to grumble in frustration.

_Don't get carried away, Shade Man! Show them a living Hell! Heh, heh, heh, heh… Huh? _Aibou_ is contacting me… Let's lower the volume and go back to Oran Island Area 1 to avoid being heard…_

"… F? Me. The device is ready. And I've assigned them the mission: the escort guys understood the orders very clearly. And when I showed them an image of their beloved father then they clearly understood that they weren't in grounds to refuse." "Demon Prince" reported.

"Good job. I'm surveying these guys as they make their way through Shade Man's territory… Any info on that Barrel man yet?"

"Haven't had time to look it up and the Doc seemed totally uninterested to begin with… But I do know about Knight Man and the Gospel incident of a while ago…"

"How ironically different!" "Demon King" giggled.

"I know. Head back to the HQ once you're done with watching the battle: I want to have some rest and you could check on those two on my stead. I've been working non-stop to complete this thing, you know!"

"Alright. Beware of the "thing", though."

"Not another M&F joke." He groaned.

"Ops. Guess I'm turning predictable… Say! Did Otilio come and fix that door already?"

"The door's fixed but I had two of the men do it: Otilio would've come up with some catastrophe or another." He grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh. Alright. See ya."

"Demon King" hovered and sneaked back inside of Oran Island Area 3 to look at the situation: all "Dark Holes" had fallen and the group had almost reached Shade Man.

"Fast guys, aren't you? Heh, heh, heh."

"Let's push it past this line, erase the last defense line and then we can tackle Shade Man!" Colonel rallied.

"Hum! Leave it to me!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"…Ki, ki, ki… So you've managed to reach me. Welcome to the "Dark Feast"!" Shade Man exclaimed.

"Shade Man! You lowlife! This time I'll delete you!" Blues exclaimed as he drew his Long Sword.

"It's still too early for the meal but it can't be helped… What I will be taking will be… your power! Ki, ki, ki~!" He laughed in his creepy tone of voice.

"Wait. Who are "Demon King" and "Demon Prince" and what role do they have on this?" Colonel questioned.

"Huh? Oho… Ki, ki, ki… I was waiting for that question! I was ordered to give out a teaser… They are two powerful persons yet they share the same rank as Regal – sama… And they have their share of the HQ too yet Regal – sama doesn't mind them… Thanks to them we've been able to stage all of this so…" He chuckled.

"And Rock Man…?" Blues demanded.

"Ki, ki, ki… I don't know and I don't need to know. But I'm glad they removed that blue gnat from our way… Your power won't be enough to defeat me… Ki, ki, ki~!" Shade Man laughed.

"Coming, sir!"

"Slay that foul vampire!" Enzan commanded.

"Crush Noise!"

"Slow. Hrah!"

Shade Man unfolded his wings and shot a sonic attack at Blues but he dodged it just in time and managed to land an attack on him too so Shade Man grumbled.

"Che. Red Wing!"

"I know that one too."

Blues quickly disposed of the two bats Shade Man spawned and landed another hit on him.

"Che! Shade Swipe!"

"Hmpf."

Shade Man tried to swing the air with his claws but Blues landed another blow there and also dodged when Shade Man appeared behind him and tried to suck his energy off.

"Go." Enzan commanded.

"The end." Blues announced.

"What!"

_Coming, coming… Say hi to your coffin, Dracula…_

"Dream Sword!"

"Gi, gi~! I am suffering such humiliation once again…! Gi, gi, gi~!"

Shade Man was deleted and the area was restored to normal: the three members smiled (Knight Man's face couldn't be seen but he probably was as well) while failing to notice "Demon King" spying on them.

"We've managed to free the Internet from Nebula's hands today as well yet there are still several Nebula Navis possessing terrific power left… Knight Man. Won't you fight alongside us from now on? We'll surely need your defensive strength in the battles to come."

"… I do appreciate your words yet… I have the duty to protect Pride – sama…" He trailed off.

"Knight Man! Don't mind me. Why don't we lend some power to those "Team" gentlemen?" Pride told him.

"B-but… Pride – sama…"

"I am alright!" Pride insisted.

"Your will!"

"Heh. Looks interesting…" Blues looked amused.

"Heh, heh. Settled, then." Colonel shrugged.

"I shall fight for Pride – sama staking my life!" Knight Man proudly announced by taking a step forward.

"Knight Man. We'll be counting on you."

"Same thing over here, too." Blues admitted.

"Hum! Delighted."

"Well then. I'll contact you again…" Colonel announced.

"Enzan – sama. We should head back to the mainland already, sir, shouldn't we? Later, Knight Man."

"Hum!" Knight Man replied.

"Well then, Princess… We'll be in contact." Enzan reminded her.

"Understood. I'll keep my mouth shut yet I could request some help from my nation's intelligence services. And… Do you know where Hikari Netto lives at? I'd like to thank him for stopping me back then." Pride requested of him.

"Sadly enough… Two clowns inside of Nebula had him and Rock Man be kidnapped along with Hikari – hakase and their whereabouts are unknown."

"What in the… Then we'll work 24/7 to find them!" Pride exclaimed while looking angered.

"That'd be useful. Later."

"Later."

Pride and Enzan parted ways while "Demon King" giggled and rushed away while being seemingly satisfied.

_Alright! Back to the HQ and let's relieve _aibou. _Tonight's first mission for those two will be amusing!_

16:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Tell us already! What's happening to Papa?"

"Yeah! What does Regal want? We'll fetch it! At least let him go! Then we'll cooperate!"

"Sorry. But I have no authority over the Doc. And he won't tell me anyway because he says it's something which involves just him and Hikari – hakase to begin with… That offer is juicy but I can't do anything about it. But maybe I can treat you to his voice… Audio output!"

Netto and Saito had been brought into a room having two wooden armchairs with no decoration whatsoever and "Demon Prince" was sitting in one of them while Netto and Saito were like they'd been in the first day: on their knees, with their hands handcuffed and placed behind them and having black wool blindfolds over their eyes.

"…There seem to be some guys roaming and freeing the Internet areas we've taken over…" Dr. Regal's voice echoed out of a speaker as if he was making a monologue yet he didn't know he was being heard.

"What…!" Netto gasped.

"Blues! It's gotta be Blues and Enzan – kun!" Saito realized.

"Bravo."

"U-unh…" Yuuichirou muttered as if he was waking up.

"… If I don't complete the research before they dully get in the way, then… Hikari Yuuichirou. Why don't you tell me already?" Dr. Regal asked him after muttering to his own.

"I d-don't know anything about "that"!" Yuuichirou energetically denied as if it was something important.

"We have no time. I don't want to be rough. That which was entrusted to you… Where is it? " Dr. Regal insisted, apparently without beating an eyelash.

"Dunno!"

"I see. You seem to have forgotten… We're talking about something dating back quite some time, after all… But if I do this then that should refresh your memory…" He trailed off.

There was the sound of a switch turned on followed by the distinct buzz of an electrical current.

"Guwa~h!" Yuuichirou roared.

"Papa!" Both gasped in fear.

"While it is good to have strong endurance, trying to resist too much might make you lose your life, you know…" Dr. Regal icily warned.

"U-unh…"

"I'll ask again in 1 hour's time. Until then make sure to think about it… Cloud Man!" He called out to someone.

"Cloud Man? A new "Darkloid"…?" Netto demanded.

"Yessir. Electrical Attribute… We placed him in charge of the Science Labs' area, see." "Demon Prince" confirmed.

"Regal is torturing Papa! We won't let that continue!" Saito cursed.

"Ah! But you see… It could end quickly and without pain if your father wasn't being so stubborn in disclosing the location of that which the Doc is looking for…" "Demon Prince" told them.

"Yes, sir! Present, sir…!" A manly voice replied through a radio channel which opened.

"… Hum… The Navis of that "Team" opposing us will soon come into your area…" Dr. Regal told him.

"I am aware of it, sir…"

"Your target is the red Navi…"

"Crap. The jerk…! He wants to bring down the leader first!" Netto hissed.

"Ah. But Blues ain't the leader."

"What?" Both gasped.

"The leader is a guy named Colonel operated by a man named "Barrel" who we dunno where he came from. But it doesn't matter anyway since they'll soon meet trouble. Knight Man is there too… Remember him from the Gospel epoch?" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"A guy named Colonel, Blues and Knight Man…!" Saito muttered.

"They've defeated Blizzard Man and Shade Man already and will head for the third one soon… It'll be amusing to see their progress."

"Shade Man again…! Why won't the guy stay deleted?" Netto cursed.

"Dunno."

"Y-yes, sir! Even if they defeat me…" Cloud Man was telling Dr. Regal.

"Hum, hum… Blues… That guy's a valous Navi which would be a pity to delete…" Dr. Regal trailed off.

He chuckled as the radio channel shut down and the twins gasped yet "Demon Prince" merely giggled and placed his right leg over his left one while leaning rightwards.

"Ain't this rather amusing?" He challenged.

"Show your hide already! Who the hell are you?" Saito demanded.

"Hmmm… Well. You know there's a "reverse" to many things? Reverse Internet, reverse side and other stuff… I am your "reverse" Rock Man… Or should I say Hikari Saito?" He giggled.

"My reverse…?" He seemed to frown.

"Guess you don't remember now but you'll end up remembering. Escort them to their quarters and don't push it either… They know that any resistance is pointless by now. They need to be fresh for the night mission too so…" "Demon Prince" told the guards.

_My "reverse"…! I think I'm getting an idea of who that guy is…_

_Then… Who is the other one…? An even stronger enemy…?_


	7. Chapter 7: Ninja style

**Chapter 7: **_**Ninja**_** style**

08:15 AM (Japan Time), Thursday March the 16th…

"… Nebula activity seems to be low here and in Oran as well: they're not having enough time to recover from the blows we land on them but we can't get cocky given how about five areas, excluding the Reverse Internet, are still occupied…"

"Truly, sir. We should be contacted by Mr. Barrel soon regarding the next mission…"

"Ijuuin Enzan…"

"Who the…?"

Enzan had come out to Akihara Town as if to check on the status of things before he got called out by someone.

That someone happened to be a man on his thirties: his hair was jet black and largely messy while his right eye was white and didn't seem to be alive: the left eye's iris was colored brown and his face gave off a bad vibe.

He was wearing a traditional Japanese set of clothes plus wooden sandals: the main color in his tunic was purple complemented with some tones of red: there was an emblem on his robe which was a triangle-shaped black-colored _shuriken_ seen from the front and set against a goldenrod background.

"Ijuuin Enzan… Right?" The man asked.

"A Nebula grunt…?" Enzan got into a defensive pose and looked suspicious of the newcomer.

"Nebula, huh. Heh, heh, heh… Well, I might look like it, yet…" He made a low chuckle.

"What do you want outta me?"

"…You seem to be snorting a lot yet… I've got no intention of attacking you for the time being… Why don't we go have a private chat?" The man challenged.

"Hmpf."

He headed over to the square and Enzan followed him while looking around like he was expecting a trap.

"… Even if you drag me here it's the least of ideal spots to do anything at all." He taunted.

"I want to see your power… You guys' power."

"That's all or is there more to it?"

"I only want to see you guys' power…"

"I won't show my tricks so easily to a suspicious guy like you. It's pointless so head back already." Enzan shot back.

"Pointless, you say. I wouldn't have guessed that a coward like you would be fighting Nebula." The man sounded disappointed.

"Hmpf. So you know that somehow. How do you know?" Enzan turned around from his "ready-to-leave" position.

"I have no obligation to reply to questions coming from a coward like you."

"You obviously don't know who I am. I'm not called an "Ace Net Battler" in vain and I ain't a coward either. I'll prove it to you by showing you our power!" Enzan exclaimed next.

"Hmpf. So that's how it's going to be… Well then… Plug-In into this squirrel statue. Will you go to where my Navi is, in the deepest spot of the "Squirrel Cybernetics"…? Are you prepared? Heh, heh, heh… But I wonder if you will be able to meet my Navi…" The man challenged with a little chuckle.

"Whatever. In exchange… If I reach the spot where you lowlife's Navi is at then you will tell me who the hell you are!" Enzan challenged back.

"Fine…"

"Go, Blues."

"… Roger, Enzan – sama, sir. No – one calls me a coward and gets away with so easily…!" Blues growled.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues began to make his way across the maze of sub-Networks inside of the "Squirrel Cybernetics" with Enzan supporting him: he eventually reached the deepest section and came to be face-to-face with none other than Shadow Man.

"You came…" He merely announced.

"You lowlife… Shadow Man!" Blues growled.

"I've measured how much time it took to come here: it'd seem that your skills are somewhat dull…" Shadow Man muttered.

"What is you lowlifes' goal?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Dunno." He shrugged.

"It'd seem that you have SOME skill to you…" The man muttered.

"You're… Shadow Man's Operator?" Enzan deduced.

"I've seen your true strength… Ijuuin Enzan… Your Operating still relies on the Navi's performance…"

"Say again? You punk! You've only managed to waste my time." Enzan growled in clear annoyance.

"Truly. And I don't talk to the likes of you lowlife either. Go back to your hole."

"Blues is an elite Navi and he could've done Shadow Man in back when the Mother Computer Incident but the jerk played unfair. So flee and don't come back. Ever. Again." Enzan settled.

"Heh, heh, heh… Companion fight, eh? Fighting Nebula from now on might be painful even…"

"What companion fight and nonsense? I fight like I want to. Now go back and leave me alone, punk."

_This guy is starting to get in my nerves!_

"… Why would Shadow Man's Operator, a mere mercenary dog, come to try to test me out anyway? Or is this a Nebula ploy too?" Enzan added with obvious mistrust.

"I am affiliated to on no organization: I just am an aloof assassin. Shadow Man. Return…" The Operator merely replied.

"Yes, sir!"

"Ijuuin Enzan… I'll give just one piece of advice. Regal's seemingly looking for a "certain something" which is in possession of Hikari Yuuichirou… And were that "certain something" to fall into Regal's hands… Then you could say that this world will end…" The Operator let out.

He suddenly dropped a spheroid at the ground and caused a cloud of dust which he used to vanish: Enzan growled.

"W-wait! Then… Whose side is that guy on? And what's that "certain something" connected to Hikari – hakase?"

"… Enzan – sama, sir… Mail, sir… From Mr. Barrel, sir… I will read the contents, sir… "Nebula grunts have been confirmed in Oran Island Area: rush over there ASAP. However, given how the Oran Island Area Network's condition is disturbed then you can't directly Plug – In from Oran Island. Head to the scene via Akihara Area." … Nebula lowlifes again…! Enzan – sama, sir…!" Blues read before gasping.

"Bloody them. Let's hurry over there before it's too late!"

"Roger, sir!"

However, Enzan didn't spot two figures looking at him from a distance: one was using binoculars while the other was using a remote to control something and a wireless earphone to listen in.

"Let's borrow a public phone's port to go the scene!"

"Roger, sir!"

"Just you wait… Nebula dogs!"

8:33 AM (Japan Time)…

"…Enzan – sama! The auto-phone, sir!"

Blues entered Oran Island Area and the auto-phone began to ring so he connected it: Barrel appeared on the screen.

"Looks like you've arrived to Oran Island Area… There are a total of 6 Nebula grunts there… They're hiding somewhere in Oran Island Areas 1, 2 and 3. Delete them if you find them. Contact me again once the 6 of them are defeated… Good fighting." He instructed.

"You heard Mr. Barrel, Blues. We have a job to do."

"Roger, Enzan – sama, sir."

Blues jumped down into the main road and soon spotted one of the Nebula grunts who happened to be grumbling.

"…BUSHU~…! BUSHURARA…! RED… NAVI…! RED… NAVI! DELETE~!" He suddenly roared in an automaton voice.

"Too slow."

"Gwra~h!"

"Slice their waists in half and they're done for in one attack. This will be easily solver, Enzan – sama, sir." Blues told him.

"Good. Keep at it."

Blues found another one who had an arrogant and "I'm-the-boss" type of pose.

"… Ya jerk… This is still an area ruled by Nebula…! Get outta here…! If not… You'll be erased! Kyoe~h!"

"Hmpf."

"Krwa~gh!"

"Oran Island Area 1 free of enemy presence, sir… I shall move on into Oran Island Area 2, sir." Blues reported.

He followed the tracks and had no trouble finding the third one who also looked like he believed he was the big boss.

"You lowlife are Blues! If I defeat you then I'll be quickly promoted to admin! I'll take off your neck!" He boasted.

"Oh? Maybe you'd better in charge of the scrap-yard." Blues dully shot back with obvious sarcasm.

"Brwa~h!"

"Rubbish is rubbish and scrap goes to the scrap-yard."

He ran past the spot and found his fourth target: the guy gasped and quickly tried to make an intimidating pose.

"… Huh! You lowlife…! We won't let anyone get in the way of Nebula! Wora~h!" He roared.

"Then get out of OUR way." Blues replied.

"Ugho~h!"

"How boring. 2 left. Let us end this farce already."

_Heh, heh, heh. Of course… That's so boring for you, Buruusu~! But I know you better… You're eager to fight Cloud Man! And I know that that guy, Shadow Man's Operator, is up to something but I dunno the details given how he's so sneaky… But as long as I am on the field then I can easily keep tabs on those two… _

"…Ya jerk… Ya are pretty plain, anyway… I don't care 'bout that… But it's the type of face I greatly dislike… I'll smash ya into dust!"

"Wrong."

"Kwra~rgh!"

_Heh, heh, heh. Not bad…_

"…Hum, hum! A suspicious guy! I'll delete them! Choria~h!"

"Scrap."

"Muwo~rgh!"

"Enzan – sama, sir. All enemies have been disposed of, sir. I shall contact Mr. Barrel via the auto-phone, sir." Blues reported.

"Done already? Then go and restore the Network on in the deepest part of Oran Island Area 3. If that Network is restored then we should be able to enter the Science Labs Area. We'll be "releasing" the Science Labs Area 3. Ijuuin Enzan… Check out the route up until to Science Labs Area 3…" Barrel instructed.

"Wait. If it's the Science Labs Area we're talking about then can't we enter it directly from the real-world Science Labs?" Enzan suggested while frowning.

_Why. Good point. We didn't bother to seal up that access route._

"… Of course... There's an access route between the Science Labs and the Science Labs Area... However… Were we to release it then we'd be inviting Nebula in the Science Labs Area into the Science Labs themselves... So that's why it's currently quarantined off. To free the Science Labs Area there's no other way but to enter the Science Labs Area via the Internet…"

_Foresaw that so he is not gonna let us come in and try to gather any info the Doc let slip…_

"Ah. Obviously… Then we'll go restore the deepest section of Oran Island Area 3 and do some scouting into the road to Science Labs Area 3." Enzan calmly shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm counting on you…"

"Blues. You know what do!"

"Roger, sir!"

Blues headed over to the connecting pathway and checked its status without noticing the presence of "Demon Prince" close by.

"The targeted area is right ahead, sir… The Network is indeed close off, sir… I shall handle the restoration work, sir…"

"Won't let ya…" A voice rang out.

_Heh, heh, heh. One of our grunts who thinks that Blues is just a common guy… They're gonna regret it dearly. My word!_

"Show your hide!"

A Nebula Navi warped in and got into a fighting pose.

"Nebula grunts!"

"Heh, heh, heh. If you know that then talk will be quick… You're gonna disappear!"

"Out of the way!" Blues growled.

"I'll make ya regret trying prowling this area!"

The grunt formed some Viruses but Blues deleted them in a blur and aimed his Long Sword at his neck.

"Che. Too good for my level… I'll remember this!"

"Hmpf. Rubbish is mere rubbish."

"We can't lower our guards then. We have no other choice but to keep on ahead. Blues! Restore the Network!" Enzan commanded.

"Roger, sir!"

_Heh, heh, heh. That's what happens when ya get cocky and try to get some glory without studying the situation first…_

"Enzan – sama, sir! Network restoration complete!"

"Go scout the Science Labs Area!"

"Roger, sir!"

Blues rushed ahead yet Shadow Man came in immediately afterwards while keeping his arms folded and seemingly looking on forward yet glancing at the sides: he suddenly disappeared.

_Heh, heh, heh. Intriguing guy, truly! My word!_

08:48 PM (Japan Time)...

"… Here, huh… Starting scouting…"

Blues made his way through the almost totally empty zone and quickly overcame the first area yet when he reached the end of the second area he found a row of about five or six purple clouds hovering over the ground blocking his path.

"The next "Liberation Area" is ahead yet…" Blues trailed off.

"Those clouds will surely not let us through."

"I shall risk it, sir."

Blues tried to move on forward by pushing one of the clouds forward yet it bounced back at its original position and violently threw Blues upon the ground: he groaned and managed to stand up.

"Blues! Are you alright?" Enzan gasped.

"I am alright, sir. But these clouds are stained with "Dark Power" and we can't proceed on forward, sir." He reported.

The auto-phone rang and Enzan sighed.

"The auto-phone, huh." He muttered.

"…You seem to have reached the goal spot. Good. Report the status of the area to me." Barrel commanded.

"Those Nebula losers set up some kind of clouds stained with "Dark Power" which block the way." Enzan summed up.

"…So those "Dark Clouds" block the road… And they leak "Dark Power" too… That's a bit worrisome. Gotcha. Pull back for now…" Barrel muttered.

"Alright. Blues! Plug Out!"

"Roger, sir."

_Oho. Someone else is coming into the picture, ain't it?_

"…Not being able to overcome even this simplistic obstacle… What a scruffy guy. My Master. I'd rather say, that, through my power…"

Shadow Man had appeared in the area and he began to talk with his yet nameless Operator.

"Shadow Man… Don't rush it… Let's check on the situation for another little while. I don't push it on hi-risk campaigns…"

_Heh, heh, heh. Intriguing. Ops. Left already… Whatever. Let's go check on the progress of those two in infiltrating the gas company and placing the traps on the Network…_

"Demon Prince" warped elsewhere and interacted with a control console to bring up imagery of a control room filled with the pink gas: the two teens were standing there while having gas masks on and escorted by another two masked men.

"Don't stay there daydreaming, guys. Do your role." He called out through a speaker.

Saito (they could be told apart given the slight difference in height) headed over to the console and connected a Sub-PET to it as he inputted some commands into the holographic screen.

_Heh, heh, heh. Not bad. Huh? Wait. This binary data string reeks: you're trying desperate tricks again. But I don't care 'cause I intercept them all anyway. Heh, heh, heh. _

"… Move out. Installation complete. Retreat to HQ."

"Roger. Move."

"And don't push them too much." "Demon Prince" warned.

"We know, sir."

"Just a lil reminder… Heh, heh, heh. This is getting interesting. Whose side is Shadow Man on today? Let's make a gamble, shall we, my two VIP guests?" He giggled.

"Hmpf." Both muttered.

09:57 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Hum. Colonel managed to free the Waterworks from Nebula's take-over yesterday night… Yet even if we've restored the Network leading to the Science Labs Area we can't proceed on forward…"

Enzan was reading a report using his computer and sitting on the armchair behind his IPC VP office's desk: he looked thoughtful.

"We need some new type of strategy, sir… Hum? Mail, sir… From Princess Pride, sir… I shall read it, sir… "Ijuuin. I'd like for you to lend me a hand. I was mining "Magne Metal" in Oran Island when a _ninja_ – like guy showed up all of a sudden saying "let me see your power" and then we were about to battle. But the opponent Navi was way too fast and he stole Knight Man's important programs… And without those Programs Knight Man can't work… Please! Lend me a hand!" … Shadow Man! I knew it: that lowlife was up to no good!" Blues read the mail before making a scowl and growling.

"Should've seen it coming… But Knight Man is needed as defense for the "Liberation Missions" and we can't let him go to waste. If she said she was mining for "Magne Metal" then she's on the drill device room… Let's head for Oran Island." Enzan commanded.

"Another mail… Colonel this time, sir. He's headed for the gas company because it's been raided by an unknown party. But it's obvious that Nebula is back at it. They seem to have physical agents as well and can spare them to do these wet-works…" Blues read.

"Che. Luckily Colonel can handle that while I go find out exactly what happened to Princess Pride. That Operator did look like he wouldn't care to kill for some reward. We better be wary."

Enzan came out using the emergency staircases yet he failed to notice "Demon Prince" watching his movements.

_I don't want to push our luck so I had those two stay at the HQ. I alone will suffice through the use of CCTV cameras and the flying camera-equipped mecha… Heh, heh, heh._

12:12 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Man. It takes forever to come all the way here. Let's hope I don't need to do this again too many times. Let's go meet the Princess."

"Roger, sir."

Enzan made his way through the mines and reached the drill room: Pride was sitting on the catwalk and looking depressed yet she stood up and shook the dust off her clothes when Enzan came in.

"What the heck happened?" Enzan asked of her.

"Ijuuin! So you came…! Like I wrote in the mail, Knight Man's thought, speech, movement and attack programs got stolen by a Navi wearing like a _ninja_. And those programs got scattered inside of the drill equipment's Cybernetics… Now Knight Man can't think, speak, move or attack. His status: on the brink of deletion…" She detailed.

"So that's how it is."

_What… Shadow Man went for a rather complicated method, didn't the guy? I thought he'd go straight to the point like he did when he attacked Ajina before striking the Mother Computer… Heh, heh, heh. Keep on talking, Enzan – kun! I wanna hear more! I'm picked!_

"Yet even when Shadow Man could've easily deleted Knight Man that lowlife went for a more troublesome approach… Maybe that lowlife isn't working for Nebula after all yet is playing around with us, sir…"

"…"Shadow Man"…? That Navi was Shadow Man, then?"

"Yeah. He used to be one of "Gospel" in the past. Yet it'd seem you never got to meet." Enzan confirmed.

"Yes… Shadow Man wasn't, properly speaking, an agent of "Gospel"… He was there becase he'd been hired by Gospel Shuryou through money… And also Shadow Man's existence was known by very few people including those who were part of "Gospel"… I never knew him from anything else but the name. Did he show up around you as well, Ijuuin?" Pride detailed before making a guess.

"Obviously… And I still dunno what the heck he wants."

"Shouldn't we retrieve Knight Man's programs to begin with, Enzan – sama, sir, before going into a wild chase?" Blues suggested.

"Yeah. True. I'll do it."

"Ijuuin… Please handle it."

"I'll have solved it before you can blink twice. Go, Blues." Enzan calmly told her.

"Acknowledged, sir."

Enzan hummed a tune and placed both hands on the pockets as Blues apparently made his way through the first of the machines and soon stopped.

"This is it… "Thought Program" retrieved…"

"Next one. Plug In!"

"… Second one… "Speech Program" retrieved…"

"Good. Next!"

"…Third one…! "Movement Program" retrieved…"

"Last!"

"Last one…! "Attack Program" retrieved…!"

"Phew. What a bother! The Viruses were stronger yet the conveyor belts had stopped so…! Here you have. The 4 programs… You can now repair Knight Man, Princess."

"Yes! Knight Man: restart! Knight Man! Knight Man!" Pride called out after she installed them back.

"Pride – sama… I shall not offer any excuses… I, Knight Man, have committed the blunder of my lifetime!" Knight Man apologized.

"It's fine. Besides that… Say "thanks" to Ijuuin and Blues. They came to recover the stolen programs."

"…Ijuuin Enzan, Blues… I must acknowledge it… You delivered a grand favor…" Knight Man told them.

"Don't mind it too much. You're a "Teammate" so we need to combine power if we want to fight Nebula. Remember this, Blues."

"Roger, sir. Yet… It is hard to believe how that lowlife managed to overcome the bodily defenses and steal the programs…" Blues muttered while bringing the right hand to his chin.

"… I know it's a really shameful tale, but since I didn't understand what I was doing then I got done in... That speed was maddening. It's not normal!" Knight Man grumbled.

"I am honored that you praise me…" A voice rang out.

Shadow Man's nameless Operator ran in and stopped in front of Enzan while looking dull and bored: Enzan didn't beat an eyebrow.

"Your so-called "Team" holds both "Power" and "Technique" yet lacks in "Speed"… You can't beat Nebula like this. The only one I'd find strong if I were to respectably fight you it would be someone like your "Leader"…"

"You've visited Mr. Barrel too?" Enzan deduced.

"A rather unique "Leader"… However… It's a shame that, having such a unique"Leader", his underlings aren't that good…" He let out.

"Why don't you stop playing Mr. Enigma and tell us what do you want once and for all? What are YOU up to?" Enzan grumbled.

"… What… You'll soon know it… If you DO have the qualifications, that is…" The man shrugged his shoulders.

"O-oi!"

Enzan chased the man outside of the room while "Demon Prince" giggled as he oversaw the thing through a spherical miniature robot having a camera lenses and speakers plus two short wings.

_This is turning so amusing really. Enzan – ku~n! You're getting hot-headed again, eh?_

"… Che! He's good at running away!" Enzan complained as he came back inside of the room.

"Enzan – sama… Maybe it'd be wise to go report to Mr. Barrel personally?" Blues suggested.

"Yeah. I wanna have some answers and I'm sure he HAS them. We'll be going, Princess." Enzan announced.

"Yes, I understand. Do be careful. I have a hunch that that man will appear in front of you again…" She warned.

_What… Princess – sama~! You're now imitating Miyuki – san, Skull Man's Operator? Heh, heh, heh. Intriguing, really! _

"Guess so…"

Enzan came out and Pride looked suspicious of something as evidenced how she was looking around.

_Oh crap. Maybe she can hear the hum of the mecha given this mine's echoing properties and the still air… Let's send it after Enzan – kun and get the heck outta here now…_

"… Yo! Otilio just placed a _pink_ curtain on the cantina's entrance and now no – one dares to come in!" "Demon King" laughed as he showed up behind "Demon Prince" inside of the Cyber World.

"Chut!" He scolded.

"Come on! What are you playing today? Mr. Game & Watch?" His partner laughed.

"No~! Shut your trap or we'll be found out!"

"By Holmes?"

"You – aren't – funny – anymore!" He hissed back.

"Oho. Scary, scary~!"

"Demon Prince" grumbled and looked away while "Demon King" giggled at his own silly jokes…


	8. Chapter 8: The Dark Side

**Chapter 8: The "Dark Side"**

15:48 PM (Japan Time), Thursday March the 16th…

"… Mr. Barrel. That lowlife came here too?"

"Shadow Man, huh… Yeah. He had quite some guts to come all the way here. Like I thought he showed up in front of you…"

Enzan stepped into the command room and Barrel looked up from the control console while looking annoyed, for once.

"… Nobody save those related should be able to come inside…! He's good at sneaking inside of places…! But can you guess on that guy's true colors…?" Enzan asked.

"That guy's name is Dark Miyabi. He wanders across the world and he deletes any Navi as long as it's been requested… An assassination specialist… And his Navi… Shadow Man… He has worldwide top-class speed and body arts which he carries alongside him…" Barrel read aloud.

"Assassination specialist, huh. The last thing we needed, really. And why would he bother to come up with such silly ploys anyway?"

"… Dunno... Guess only the guy himself knows… That's all we know insofar. Since we can't fathom what he's thinking of… Don't lower the guard." Barrel warned.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

An alarm rang out and Enzan gasped in surprise.

"This is 7th Surveillance Room. Barrel. Can you hear me? Nebula is on the move. Expanding pollution is headed for Oran Island Area from the Science Labs Area…" Someone reported.

"Roger... Ijuuin Enzan. Head to the Internet. The Internet is, by Nebula's actions, being polluted. Oran Island Area's Network should be suffering a large shock… Given how direct Plug-In from Oran Island is being difficult then head to the scene by the way of Akihara Area."

"Roger!" Enzan confirmed.

"Don't lower the guard."

"Like I'll do that."

Enzan ran out and headed into the street: he spotted a public phone booth and ran inside.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues came into the Cyber World and quickly made his way to Oran Island Area only to find Shadow Man calmly waiting for him in the platform where the ramps leading both up and down began at.

"So you did come. Blues." He greeted.

"Shadow Man!" Blues growled.

"You've surely heard that Nebula is on the move and such came over. But you're late…"

"Che!" Enzan grumbled.

"When it comes to battling Nebula, you should've gotten info on them to then be able to forestall them… Yet you didn't…"

"Dark Miyabi! What the hell do you want?"

"Who knows? If you can catch Shadow Man then I'll tell you… Shadow Man!" He challenged.

"Yes, sir! Follow me!"

Shadow Man ran off and Blues growled in clear annoyance.

"Enzan – sama! Allow me to give chase, sir!" He requested.

"… Permission granted. I'm tired of being made to look like an idiot anyway!" Enzan authorized.

Blues nodded and ran down the ramp only to find white "Cyber Clouds" blocking his path: he drew the Long Sword and cut them up before resuming the chase.

"That has gotta be the so-called "pollution"…" Enzan guessed.

"Some of them take more than one strike to dispose of… The murkier the color gets the stronger they are…" Blues reported.

He ran on ahead while slicing the Viruses and ended up finding Shadow Man soon enough who was waiting for him: Blues menaced him with the Long Sword but Shadow Man didn't even beat an eyebrow.

"…Faster than I'd thought, even… Let's go over here next… Can you follow me?" He challenged after his initial muttering.

He ran off and Blues growled as he began to chase him.

"Stop meddling around! Enzan – sama, sir! I shall resume chasing the target, sir!" He reported.

"Go for it!"

_Heh, heh, heh. Cat and mouse, eh? Go, go… Heh, heh, heh._

Blues sliced all obstacles on his path and ended up reaching Oran Island Area 2: Shadow Man was waiting in front of a row of clouds.

"… You came. I was tired of waiting… Well then, shall we head for the Science Labs Area as well?" He suggested.

"Wait!" Blues growled.

"… Hmpf...! Is there anyone anywhere who waits when you tell them to…?" He shrugged his shoulders.

Shadow Man leapt over the row of clouds and bounced off a patch of terrain before heading elsewhere: Blues fumed.

"Che! Good at running away too!" Enzan grumbled.

"Yes, sir. That lowlife is laughing at my pride, sir."

"Then let's go settle the score!"

"Roger."

_Heh, heh, heh… Go, go!_

"Hra~h! Out of the way! Viruses! Rubbish! Trash! Scrap!"

_Heh, heh, heh… Maybe you should've picked the hi-speed train?_

Blues jumped over some patches of the road to save time and reached Science Labs Area 1 where Shadow Man was waiting again.

"Huff, huff… That's as far as you come!" Blues sentenced.

"Hum… Hmpf…! I'm not in the run just for it… If you like it then… Here we'll…" Shadow Man announced as he reached for his _katana_.

"Shadow Man! Don't rush it! Let's have a bit more fun…" Dark Miyabi commanded.

"… Yes, sir!"

Shadow Man jumped away and Blues looked about to destroy everything as if to discharge his building anger.

"Heck! There's a plot going on and I'm gonna expose it no matter if I need to chase you all the way to Hell! Go, Blues!"

"Roger, sir!"

_Heh, heh, heh! How far are you planning to go to, Shadow Man? Show it to me, will ya~?_

"… So you reached me…"

Blues had made it to a corner of the Science Labs Area 2 and Shadow Man kept on looking indifferent.

"You won't run anymore!"

"My Master, am I allowed to?" Shadow Man requested.

"That's enough cat-and-mouse… Let's contest them." Dark Miyabi authorized.

"Yes, sir…"

"A showdown? Finally! This time I won't lose!" Blues seemed to like this more than the cat-and-mouse game.

"Go, Blues!" Enzan ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Get ready!" Shadow Man warned.

"Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

_Sword VS Katana! Which will win? Heh, heh, heh…_

"… Shadow Clone! Fire Spell! Hah!"

"Che. As always fooling around… The real one is there! Air Hockey! Drill Arm! Eat these!"

"Hmpf."

"Grah! _Kawarimi_!"

Shadow Man began by forming one "Shadow Clone" and then both shot a burst of flames which traveled across the ground: Blues tried to counter them yet he was bombarded by a rain of _shuriken_: Shadow Man looked unimpressed and Blues was annoyed.

"Blues! Cool it down! Just stop his movements: no deletion!"

"Roger, sir!"

"That's all?" Shadow Man taunted.

"No! Thunder Ball! Drill Arm!"

"Huh! Clever!"

Blues paralyzed the real Shadow Man and hit him with the Drill Arm before jumping back: Shadow Man didn't seem to have minded the damage.

"Fire Spell!"

"Met Guard! Long Blade!"

"Getting desperate, I see…" Shadow Man sounded amused.

_Oh, the despair… It'll make ya run into trouble, Blues!_

"You lowlife are the one who is gonna get desperate soon enough! Get ready!" Blues shot back.

_Heh, heh, heh. Go on, catchy guys._

"Enzan – sama, sir!"

"Gotcha. Double Point! Super Vulcan! Go~!"

"What! Guo~h!"

_Oho. Terrific!_

The "Double Point" increased the power of the "Super Vulcan" and Shadow Man was hit by these rounds and left unable to move: he had to step back and he panted.

"Not… Not yet!"

"The end. Long Sword!"

"Guwah!"

Blues used his Long Sword to hit Shadow Man and he stepped back while panting and seemingly having trouble standing.

"… So! Have you learned who is in charge, you lowlife?" Blues challenged by aiming his Long Sword at him.

"Hum. Not bad! My Master." He called out.

"Now what?" Enzan sighed.

"If it's these guys then no problem…" Dark Miyabi replied.

"Your will." Shadow Man acknowledged.

"What was that?" Blues demanded to know.

"We'll lend a hand to you people…" Dark Miyabi suddenly told them in a dull tone of voice.

"Huh? What?" Enzan frowned.

"I'm saying that we're going to help you people."

"Liar!" Enzan growled.

"I don't lie. I bothered to come down from my village just to fight Nebula. I got called by Barrel." Dark Miyabi dully countered.

Colonel came in right then and stood next to Shadow Man proving he was over ten centimeters taller than him.

"We didn't intend to keep silent yet Miyabi insisted that he had to try you guys on no matter what so…" He admitted.

"So that's how it was… Colonel!" Blues fumed.

"So? Dark Miyabi and Shadow Man? Did they pick your interest, then?"

"Well! They're not bad…" Shadow Man shrugged.

"…They still need some training but they're not bad the way they already are." Dark Miyabi added.

"I now feel like a total idiot for not seeing the point of this whole thing before." Enzan sighed as he slapped his forehead.

"Well then… I know it's sudden. But how about we get to work?" Shadow Man suggested in an amused tone of voice.

"Hmpf. About time."

In the meanwhile Enzan sat down on a bench and sighed in relief without noticing the "mecha" monitoring him.

"I'll open the route to the next to-be-released Area… That road which you couldn't cross…" Shadow Man announced.

"You were looking, then." Blues guessed.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… A splendid blowing off, I'd daresay! Yet I won't do a blunder like the one you did…"

Shadow Man and Colonel rushed over to the spot while Blues stretched and checked his Long Sword.

"Enzan – sama, sir! Command me, sir!" He requested.

"Go!"

Blues quickly met up with the other two as they observed the state of the cloud barrier.

"Shadow Man. Will you go for it?" Colonel asked.

"No problem. From what I can see breaking "that" might do it…"

He showed them an aerial photo of a lone "Dark Chip" emitting energy beyond the barrier of clouds.

"… Let's go… _Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen! Water-spider spell! _Hah!" He began to quickly chant a _ninja_ spell before announcing its name aloud.

He formed two red disk-shaped sandals and was able to easily traverse the clouds until he landed in front of the "Dark Chip" beyond them.

"A Dark Chip, it'd seem… However, there's nothing that the current Muramasa can't slay… Take this!"

He sliced the "Dark Chip" in half and the cloud barrier dissipated: he slowly placed the _katana_ back into its sheath.

"_Nin_!" He exclaimed.

"I kept you waiting!"

Knight Man appeared on that very same moment and Colonel looked at Blues who nodded in agreement.

"The actors have gathered. Good. Let's go!" He commanded.

"Finally. Something worth my time!" Blues sounded eager.

"Same motto over here… Go!"

The four Navis rushed northwards while failing to notice "Demon Prince" landing in the ground behind them and picking up the split halves of the "Dark Chip" which he stuffed into a pocket.

"What? I'm just recycling. Heh, heh, heh."

16:35 PM (Japan Time)…

"…This area has defenses far more solid than the usual… "That" is the reason."

The group had stepped into the "Liberation Area" and Colonel quickly signaled some metallic panels with the number "1" painted on them and having a lock.

"That's…?" Blues asked.

"Barrier Panels." Colonel replied.

"Hmpf. So they're set to slow our movements…"

"Exactly. They're panels which can't be "Liberated" either… However, if we want to loop around there then we've got too many "Dark Panels" which must be "Liberated"… That's why there's no other choice but to find the "key" to release those panels…" Colonel detailed.

"So that's where I come in, you mean to say…" Shadow Man sounded slightly amused.

"Hmpf. As expected."

"I don't think that we'll find release "key" so easily so… We should regard the inner Area as suspicious… And that means that we'll have to cross over the "Dark Panels"…" Shadow Man announced.

"…Good guess. And you're right. The release "key" must be deeper inside and in an item-get Panel… I'm expecting you to do a neat job." Colonel nodded in affirmation.

"Leave it up to me… My "Shinobi Feet" ninja arts spell will allow me to cross over them…"

"Good! Let's go! The targeted "Liberation" is to happen within 9 "Phases"… Well then… I'm counting on you guys!"

"Wait. Where's the "Darkloid"? Camera, camera… There. According to the info, then… That guy is Cloud Man…" Enzan asked before he brought up the camera and checked it out.

"How ugly!" Pride muttered.

"Hmpf." Dark Miyabi shrugged.

"Hmpf… Sure lives up to the name. Regal felt inspired." Barrel sarcastically muttered.

Cloud Man stood out because his lower body was a grayish cloud and he had no legs: his upper body had a mix of magenta and orange coloring.

His head had an orange helmet with the Alphabet letter "U" set on its forehead plus a spike having a small gray cloud over it.

The helmet created a shade-like effect around his eyes, the irises of which were blood red as well: the rest of his face was gray in color.

His shoulders and forearms were colored orange while the skin was black while a magenta ring was set slightly above each wrist, too and to small wing-like objects with three indentations on it and colored white emerged from the sides of his shoulders.

An arrow-like object was set over the hand and the forearms: its border was colored white.

His torso had three white stripes below the chest which only occupied about the center section of it: his emblem was set slightly beneath them and it depicted a single cloud set against a blackish background and having a white rim.

He had an open vest-like drawing over the sides of his torso which began above the shoulders and reached past the lower torso where his emblem was at: the vest's border was colored in a goldenrod color.

Each side also had a cloud-shaped drawing slightly above where the three stripes began at: two button drawings were set on his body.

"Let's get on the move already. We must free that first "Dark Hole" and then Shadow Man can fetch the key." Enzan decided.

"I am ready, sir!" Blues announced.

"Let us start…" Shadow Man chuckled.

_Heh, heh, heh. If only you knew the true terror which lurks here… But you won't find it on this field 'cause it's not part of it… Heh, heh, heh. Rejoice while ya can!_

"… The "Dark Hole" has been "Liberated" yet we need to end our "Phase" already…" Enzan muttered.

"Come over already…! A stormy greeting is waiting for you guys…!" Cloud Man exclaimed.

He relocated the "guardians" and then folded his arms as he hovered over the ground yet he suddenly glanced towards the NNW.

"… Cloud Man... Remain like that… They mustn't realize that I'm here: gotcha?" "Demon Prince" whispered.

Cloud Man merely nodded in understanding and looked forward: Shadow Man had indeed skipped a whole lot of "Dark Panels" and found the "Barrier Key 1" to release the "Barrier Panel 1" set thus allowing for the others to advance ahead into an area having another two "Dark Holes" plus another row of "Barrier Panels" labeled with the number "2" which split them from the fourth "Dark Hole" and Cloud Man's own private grounds.

_Heh, heh, heh. I see. Shadow Man! Ya tricked us in a neat manner: I'll give ya that. But the true terror is yet to come, I insist._

"… Is that all? These things are so predictable, really." Dark Miyabi sounded bored.

"Before _you_ came into the scene they were endless." Enzan grumbled back at him.

"Calm down, Ijuuin. You're the one Operating, remember." Barrel reminded him.

"I know that, Mr. Barrel. Maybe you could teach Mr. Assassination Specialist some things in the meanwhile!" Enzan kept on sounding annoyed.

"Hmpf. Reckless youth…" Dark Miyabi muttered.

"… "Barrier Key 2" retrieved and there's only one "Dark Hole" left before we can hit that guy…" Blues reported.

"Then let us go." Knight Man rallied.

_Heh, heh, heh. Not bad, not bad! Cloud Man! Give them all ya got and don't let them catch any glimpses of our true terror!_

"…Hoh, hoh… You came. I'll zap ya and give you the heavenly punishment!" Cloud Man chuckled as Colonel faced him.

"Cloud Man. Quit with the resistance and docily submit. Well, I'd like for that to happen but I guess it's in vain." Colonel told him.

"… Wasn't that obvious from the very start? But this guy seems to have a lot of fighting strength… Let's be careful, Colonel. Go! Battle Operation, Set!" Enzan muttered

.

"In!"

"Many Cloud!"

Cloud Man formed three or four blackish clouds ahead of him and they began to shoot out electrical spheroids which Colonel dodged.

"Cross Thunder!"

A white cloud formed on Colonel's side of the field and began to emit lightning bolts in a cross formation.

"Colonel Cannon! Screen Divide!"

"Guoh! Not bad… But that won't be enough!" Cloud Man grumbled and looked ready for more.

"Ojiouzan! Drill Arm!"

One of Cloud Man's attacks hit the statuette and Cloud Man got hit by a thunderbolt which rained from the sky: he didn't have time to react as Colonel hit him with three "Drill Arm" Battle Chips in a row thus inflicting major damage.

"W-what a guy!"

"The final blow! Air Hockey!"

"… G—g-g-guoh…! Even the great I got defeated…! But it'd better if you think that you won't go be returning unharmed…! Hoh, hoh, hoh…! Guo~h…!"

Cloud Man roared in agony and got deleted so the area returned to its usual greenish hue color: the group sighed in relief.

_Good motto, Cloud Man, 'cause they're so cocky by now that they won't even think of what could happen!_

"Good work, everyone. Being able to reclaim the Science Labs Area has become a big _plus_ for us. And also I should introduce our new companion Shadow Man. The battle strength of our "Team" has been enchanced… I'll be counting on you for the next missions." Colonel announced.

"Maybe I'll tolerate you for the time being." Blues told him.

"Like this we might be able to "Liberate" the Internet after all!" Enzan exclaimed while sounding somewhat cocky.

"Truly, sir. It feels like it, sir."

"See? I feel confident today." Enzan grinned.

_And that's why you won't see this coming, Enzan – ku~n!_

"I am always ready for a mission, sir."

"Alright."

The shadow of something which was above Blues became visible and everyone gasped.

"Huh! Blues! Step asides!" Colonel commanded.

"Huh? What?" Blues didn't seem to have realized what was going on given his reply.

A "Dark Cloud" fell down and sucked Blues in all of a sudden: he was caught totally off-guard and swallowed by the cloud despite his attempts to break free.

"Grah!"

"Heck! He got taken in!" Colonel cursed.

"Gruh! It won't yield an inch!" Knight Man cursed.

"A "Dark Cloud"…!" Shadow Man gasped.

"Blues!" Enzan gasped.

The "Dark Cloud" hovered towards the sky and vanished: the group stood there, frozen.

"Hell! What in the hell!" Colonel scowled.

"Blues! BLUES!"

_See? Ya didn't see that one coming! Heh, heh, heh. Let's go back to the base and…!_

"There."

TCHAC!

"Grah!"

"Who…?"

Shadow Man had suddenly thrown a _shuriken_ into the air and it hit "Demon Prince" thus making him fall into the ground while still having his robe on: he groaned and tried to lodge the _shuriken_ off his right shoulder while Shadow Man aimed his _katana_ at the neck.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Che! "Demon Prince" is my title!" He grumbled.

"One of them! What are you gonna do to Blues!"

"Guess that, Enzan – ku~n! I've got work to do! See ya!"

He managed to escape while Enzan stood up from the bench and punched a vending machine out of frustration.

"Heck! Heck! BURUUSU~!"

17:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"…Oi! Over here! Bring them over here! Good! Preparations complete! Call the "Doctor"!"

"… Grah. It hurts… That Shadow Man…! He surely had smelt me out from the start and was waiting for a chance to hit me…! Grah! Whatever… Let's treat those two… You two! Open the viewing slit…"

"Roger."

"Demon Prince" made it back to Nebula HQ and cursed as he clutched the damaged shoulder: he dragged his feet to in front of a cell-like door which was being guarded by two men one of which opened the slit: "Demon Prince" took a SUB PET out and activated the holographic screen which he projected inside.

"Have a look, you two~!" He giggled.

"What the…! Glyde! Roll! Guts Man!"

"And over there… Buruusu!"

Netto and Saito gasped upon seeing the feed: their friends' Navis were enclosed within an electrical cage while Blues had been knocked out and cuffed into an operating table surrounded by four grunts: one of them headed over to the cage.

"Oi! Rejoice! We've fetched your companion!" He taunted.

"Companion, de guts?"

"B-Blues!"

"Blues – dono!"

"Guts, guts! Wake up, de guts!" Guts Man pleaded.

"Blues!"

"Doesn't matter how much you call out: it's in vain. That guy is now soundly napping through a "sleep program"… Even if an elephant were to step on him he won't wake up." The grunt laughed.

"What do you intend to do to Blues, guts!"

"That guy is gonna work for the sake of us Nebula… So quietly look from on from over there how that guy is gonna become our companion … Gyah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" The grunt laughed.

"What!" The twins gasped.

"Like that guy said…" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"NO! BLUES!" Roll shrieked.

"Today's crank is this punk? A battle-designed highly skilled largely independent model… A cool Navi, yeah. I heard from Regal – sama that he's a tough nut to crack. A really advanced Navi for the time he was programmed! I'm fond of interesting cranks. Hi, hi, hi…"

A black-colored grunt Navi came in and was looming over Blues while speaking like an old man.

"Doctor. If it's this guy then we'll surely succeed."

"It'll be fun… Let's start the operation already! Let's use this "Dark Chip"… Let the Dark Chip's power… The "Dark Power"… Be inserted within this guy! Take that!"

The "Doctor" guy formed a "Dark Chip" in the air and had it inserted within Blues' chest emblem: he suddenly woke up and began to scream while fighting against the cuffs.

"Gwra~h! Gruh… grah… A~rgh!"

"The "sleeping program" from which not even the pain from being stomped by an elephant should wake him up has been cut…" One of the grunts sounded surprised.

"Pain beyond imagination, then… The Dark Chip's "Dark Power" which we've inserted is penetrating this guy's body… That kind of pain… It would have halted all functions in a normal Navi already…" The "Doctor" chuckled.

"Agwra~h! A~ugh!"

"Jeez. What a scary deal." One grunt grumbled.

"Doctor… What's Blues' status?" Dr. Regal asked over a speaker while sounding interested.

"Regal…!" Both twins growled.

"…Oh! Regal – sama! Favorable: it was to be expected from a Navi Regal – sama set his eyes into! The "Dark Power" is being inserted favorably!" The "Doctor" reported.

"I see. Once the "Dark Power" is established then we'll immediately enter into the activation experiment." Dr. Regal commanded.

"Acknowledged. "Dark Power"! Cut into them! Strongly! Deeply!" The "Doctor" exclaimed.

"Gruwa~h! ENZAN – SAMA~!" Blues screamed.

"Suffer! Suffer! And when that pain vanishes… You'll be reborn as a "Dark Warrior"… "Dark Blues"! Gyah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

The imagery suddenly vanished and "Demon Prince" sneered as he quickly closed the slit while the twins banged and kicked the door from the inside as if hoping to break it open.

"Don't mind them. They'll tire out soon enough… Once they spot how futile their attempts are… Heh, heh, heh… No gas will be needed: don't do anything and don't come in either."

"Roger."

"My boat will beat! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"And someone tell that drunkard to wash the face with cold water as well or else…" "Demon Prince" grumbled.

He began to walk away while still clutching the damaged shoulder and giggling under his breath.

_Brilliant idea, "Doc"… Like how Skywalker somehow fell to the "Dark Side" and became Darth Vader… Turn that guy into "Dark Blues"…!_


	9. Chapter 9: Botched party

**Chapter 9: Botched party**

07:55 AM (Japan Time), Friday March the 17th…

"… Uh-unh… B-Blues… Blues! Grah!"

Enzan sat up on a bed somewhere and looked around: he had reddish pajamas on and the room looked luxurious.

"… My family mansion, huh… Huff, huff… A dream…? Blues…" He muttered while looking at his hands.

The PET rang and Enzan gasped: he looked over there yet he didn't move from the bed.

"The phone… Normally Blues would answer to it…"

The call got cut and Enzan snapped out of it.

"Ah… Someone was calling me…" He muttered.

He sighed and climbed down from the bed to check it out: the screen was empty and there only was one icon on-screen.

"A message was left in the answering machine…"

Enzan inputted a command a portrait of Barrel came up.

"… Hum… Me… Why don't you come to look at the sea, Ijuuin Enzan…? I do know that you're depressed… However… Just looking at the sea at these times… Why don't you come over to the harbor in the reverse of the Science Labs? I'll be waiting…" Barrel suggested.

"Should I go…?" He wondered.

He left the PET on a desk and picked his usual set of clothes before heading over the bathroom and shutting the door to come out a few minutes later.

"… I'll go. I need to excuse myself to him… I acted like a crybaby yesterday evening… Blues…! I should've seen it coming yet… They caught us with the guard down like rookies… Hell! Regal! I won't forgive you for this! I'll chase you to the end of the world if needed!"

08:48 AM (Japan Time)…

"…You look pretty tired. Given how Blues was kidnapped then guess it's inevitable…"

Enzan had come into the harbor and barely paid attention to the containers, the lighthouse or the cruise ship present in the area: Barrel was standing close to some stairs leading to a lower dock and looked up when Enzan walked over to him while looking at the ground and having his hands stuffed on the pockets.

"Fine, ain't it? The sea… A greatness which wraps it all…" Barrel tried to come up with a topic to talk about.

"Mr. Barrel…" Enzan looked up.

"Ijuuin Enzan… Won't you participate in the next mission? I'll arrange for a Navi to replace Blues." Barrel told him.

"… Now that Blues isn't around you want me to use another Navi, you say? You stone-faced jerk!" Enzan growled.

"… Huff… First it was your companion. And now even Blues got abducted… I do understand the pain of your heart… But we're in need of your power..." Barrel insisted.

"Oh yeah? But I'm no more that a clown by now: I can't do anything. And I refuse to Operate any Navi apart from Blues. We've been together for far too long. Go to Hell!" Enzan exploded.

SLAP!

"Ugh!"

Barrel had suddenly slapped his left cheek and Enzan rubbed it while he repressed the tears which threatened to come out.

"Don't get soft! Right now, Nebula's actions are making the same thing which happened to you… No… They could be making even more painful things to others for all we know. We need your power to stop those!"

Enzan didn't reply and looked at the ground.

"I'll be in the Science Labs' Command Room… If you want to quit the "Team" or else you want to fight Nebula as one of the "Team" then come to the Command Room. I'll give you Blues' replacement Navi. Think about it." Barrel settled.

He walked off while Enzan sat on the edge of the dock while looking out at the crashing of the waves.

"I'm turning mushy… What would Blues say if he was here? He'd surely tell me that I shouldn't be concerned about him and that I should complete the mission…" He muttered.

_Enzan – sama, sir! Please believe in yourself, sir, and win, sir! Do your best, Enzan – sama! _Enzan pictured Blues' reply.

"Blues… I dunno what Navi Mr. Barrel will lend me yet… I'll save you no matter what!" He muttered.

He failed to spot a man on his 20s: some of the hair came out from beneath the hat and was colored in a chestnut brown color: the man appealed as being over a meter and eighty tall.

He was wearing a gray raincoat over a black suit plus black tie and brown shoes plus a hat and a pair of sunglasses.

_There he is… Mr. Ijuuin… I know you're in trouble and you'd wish to save your companion yet I am not yet in a solid position… One fake step and my strategy would crumble… No. I cannot do anything yet. They could be monitoring any of my activities in the Cyber World. Yet… Maybe if I employed a proxy… That could work…_

"… Settled, then… I'm going there… I'm gonna receive this new Navi and go find Blues…!" Enzan muttered.

He began to undo the path and the man sighed as he stuffed both hands into the pockets of the raincoat.

_One day I will be of help, I know it. I don't want to suffer that same fate as my two predecessors. No. I am different. I shall be different. But it's too early yet for me… For Kanou Shade… _

09:03 AM (Japan Time)…

"… You came…"

"Mr. Barrel. I'll do it. I'll recover Blues by myself!"

Enzan came in and announced his decision to Barrel who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"… Hmpf… It'd seem you've been able to understand what you gotta do…"

"And what if?" Enzan challenged.

"Given your looks then it's alright. Ijuuin Enzan, lend me your PET. I'll insert the new Navi on it."

Enzan calmly handed it over and Barrel began to type into the console to work with it.

"Wait for a bit. Navi Program: Install Start…"

A ping soon rang out and Barrel shrugged.

"Install Completed. This Navi is a special one: make sure to return them to me once you retrieve Blues."

"Deal. Huh?"

Enzan picked the PET and looked at it: he gasped and looked at Barrel before looking at it again.

"N-no way…! Mr. Barrel…!"

The man merely nodded in affirmation and Enzan gasped before forming a weak smile.

"This guy is a reliable companion… I'll be counting on you… Colonel!"

"Now that Blues is gone the battle strength of the "Team" has gone down somewhat so…" Colonel calmly went straight to the point.

"Mr. Barrel. I'm indebted to you."

"Hmpf. Well then, let me explain the next mission already…"

"Go ahead."

"… The area we're gonna "release" today is End Area 2. End Area is located westwards from Densan City. It's the network of a town named End City. You should be able to come into End Area from Oran Island Area 2. You should have a first check of the situation." He briefed.

"Scouting? Alright."

"Counting on you…"

Enzan headed to a nearby console and breathed for a moment before slowly exhaling.

"… Plug In! Colonel EXE, Transmission!"

Colonel appeared in the Network after crossing through the Science Labs' HP and quickly looked around with mistrusting eyes.

"These areas have been "released" yet I can't shake off the sudden meeting of yesterday… I wasn't expecting that "Demon Prince" to be so literal in naming himself given how he didn't appeal to be taller than Rock Man…" Colonel muttered.

"Huh? Ah. I wasn't paying much attention so… That's a clue. Yet I'm sure that we won't find out who the guy is so easily."

"… This is the door in question… ""This door is Science Labs' jurisdiction. It is restricting communications from Oran Island Area 2 to End Area as countermeasure aimed at Nebula. All except staff should keep away..." is written on it." He read aloud.

"Can you try to open it, Colonel?"

"Doesn't seem like it'll open. There has to be a key to open this door somewhere. It'd seem this door is the Science Labs' jurisdiction… If we go to the Science Labs Area then we might figure something out." Colonel exposed a course of action.

"Good thinking… Let's go."

"Roger."

09:28 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Try talking to that guy."

"Fine."

Colonel walked over to an Official Navi deep in the Science Labs Area 4 who seemed to be reading a screen with some data on it: Colonel cleared his throat.

"What?" The Navi asked.

"I want to release the Oran Island Area 2 door."

"You want to release the Oran Island Area 2 door, you say? End Area is beyond that door yet Nebula's power is still strong… You hold good power yet I wonder if you will be able to fight your way within End Area… If you can defeat all of the Viruses I'll release now then I'll give you the key to that door… But if you lose you'll turn out to be a simple Navi after all then… Are you prepared?" The Navi sounded doubtful at first but then came up with a challenge.

"I am always prepared."

"Well then! Let's begin! Hah!"

Three "Handy" Viruses formed and they warped into another row to place Count Bombs on them yet Colonel had already shot an Air Hockey followed by a Drill Arm thus deleting all of them without even sweating or doing real effort.

"I must acknowledge your power… As agreed… I'll give you this."

"Science Key, huh…" Colonel muttered as he looked at it.

"No matter how strong you are you mustn't do reckless things."

"I know that all too well. Ijuuin Enzan. Let's head over to End Area and start the mission." Colonel called out.

"Roger."

"Be careful."

09:45 AM (Japan Time)…

"… What's wrong, Colonel?"

"I feel something blood-thirstiness… Coming."

Colonel had been walking along the main End Area 1 road when he stopped and readied his sword while looking untrusting of his surroundings.

"You noticed? As expected of Colonel, yeah…" A slightly familiar voice rang out.

"Nebula, huh. Show your hide." Colonel challenged.

An irregular spheroid-shaped gateway of purple energy opened and _Blues_ stepped out of it: his main color palette had been overlaid with shades of purple coloring and he radiated a pure evil "aura" to his presence plus having a smug smile on his face.

"Wha! Blues!" Colonel gasped.

"… I, _Dark_ Blues… I have been ordered by Regal – sama to defend this area!" He announced.

"T-that can't be! You're lying! Don't screw around, Blues!" Enzan yelled as if not believing what he was seeing.

"That voice is that of Ijuuin Enzan, right? My bad, but I'm not kidding. I've sworn loyalty to Regal – sama as a genuine and true Nebula Navi! That's why I can't let you guys pass past this spot." He shot back.

"Blues. You've completely turned into an agent of Nebula, then?"

"That's right…"

"Hearing that relieves me. Now I can cut you up sans reserves." Colonel calmly replied as he aimed his sword at him.

"Wait, Colonel!"

"I understand your feelings but that guy is now a Nebula pawn…" Colonel negated with the head.

"Correct, Ijuuin Enzan. Just by saying _naïve_ stuff like that you can't defeat…! Ugh!"

His body began to frizzle and he looked like he'd gotten paralyzed or frozen in the spot: his mouth opened and articulated in a slow manner and another voice sounding more like the usual Blues rang out.

"C-Colonel… Hurry up…! Cut me up…! If you don't… The "Dark Power" which… Nebula inserted… into me… will… swa… llow me…! Guh!" He slowly pleaded as if he was struggling to regain control.

"Kah! T-thought I'd totally swallowed him up but… still got some self left…! H-hell! Don't get in my way!" The imposter personality growled.

"Ijuuin Enzan! We have a chance!" Colonel rallied.

"I c-can't do it! Colonel! You saw that, right? Blues hasn't become a total Nebula Navi!" Enzan pleaded.

"Che!"

Three grunts came in and formed a row protecting the still-struggling Dark Blues from Colonel.

"Dark Blues – sama. Please leave this to us." One of them told him while they stepped forward.

"Yeah… Counting on ya…!"

Dark Blues warped away and Colonel formed a scowl across his face while looking angered.

"He fled…!"

"Oho. Now we're gonna be your opponents."

"Did you really think that just the 3 of you lowlifes will be able to defeat me?" Colonel questioned.

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh…! Who said that there wasn't more to just the 3 of us?" One of them laughed.

"What did you say?" Colonel grumbled.

Another 9 grunts warped in three rows of three each and they formed a line of 12 grunts.

"Heh, heh, heh… Each one's power is small. But if we all charge as one then it'll become a gigantic power… Will you try it on?" The lead grunt challenged with obvious mockery.

"Against such numbers…! If Blues was here then we'd manage somehow yet…!" Colonel grimly muttered.

"Colonel! Tactical withdrawal! If we fight those then we won't escape unhurt from such a fray! And doing a "Liberation Mission" afterwards would be hard too!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Che! If only we had a companion with "power" which could supplement the potential Blues had…!" Colonel cursed under his breath.

"What the. If ya won't come then we'll come at ya!" The lead grunt grumbled as they all took one step forward.

"Plug – Out, Colonel! Let's go back to Mr. Barrel's place and reconsider the strategy!" Enzan commanded.

"Kuh." Colonel scowled.

"… Good job." A voice rang out once Colonel had fled.

"O~h! Demon Prince – sama~!" They all exclaimed.

"Demon Prince" landed on the ground and when the robe fluttered from the movement his right purple boot (similar in design to Rock Man's) could be seen for an instant.

"Don't let a single mouse sneak by." He commanded.

"Roger, Prince – sama!" They saluted.

"Yahoo~! My bottle will throttle!" A voice rang out from the real world radio link.

"Not that drunkard again…" He groaned.

"My rumble will shake!" The guy kept on shouting.

10:13 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Blues has become one of Nebula… I see."

"Sorry. I turned mushy again and now "releasing" End Area has turned harder…"

Enzan looked defeated once he presented his report to Barrel who didn't beat an eyebrow.

"No. Even if Colonel had decided to cut Blues and managed to do it then Nebula's reinforcements would've come in inevitably. However, the Navi army in End Area… Given how Blues is out then our battle strength has gone down considerably… It poses a big problem for us." Barrel replied.

"Couldn't we solve it by bringing Knight Man or Shadow Man into the picture?" Enzan suggested the first thing which he could think of.

"…While it's true that Knight Man and Shadow Man are unique Navis… There are too many opponents. Even if Blues was in the party we'd be unable to win unharmed… What we really need is a companion with dynamic power that could defeat several enemies in one blow!"

"Dynamic power companion, huh." Enzan muttered.

"In any way… It isn't a good idea to lay our hands into End Area without a good reason by now… So, instead, I'll have you undergo a different mission, Ijuuin Enzan."

"Another mission? Why not…" He shrugged.

"Right now… The SS Queen Cheko passenger ship is docked in the harbor located in the reverse of the Science Labs… Today's afternoon, within the ship, a party in which several Japanese companies will be hosted will be opened: we received that info. The ones invited into the party are just top worldwide companies and some royal families too…" Barrel began explaining as he looked up from the computer.

"And what are they gonna showcase? That kind of party is thrown out to showcase something: we IPC have done that too." Enzan asked while lifting his eyebrows.

"…It's the exhibition of the "Booster System" developed by the "Big Company", the one hosting the party. It seems to be a system which has the effect of doubling the base power of several types of programs. Its unveiling… No, I'd rather say… Its business meeting." Barrel explained.

"Business meeting, huh. So they wanna sell it quickly."

"Correct… We got some info that Nebula is targeting that "Booster System" too…" Barrel added.

"Obviously… Given how that system can power-up several types of programs, then… And it was natural that Nebula would set its eyes on it too…" Enzan didn't look surprised at all.

"To stop that is your job." Barrel got to the point.

"Fine. I'll try not to call the attention: IPC and the "Big Company" have some rivalry going back a few years so… And I'm supposed to ride in that SS Queen Cheko this afternoon at 17 hours…"

"… That's true, yet, to ride in the ship you need an "invitation letter"…"

"And we probably don't have it." Enzan deduced.

"Pity, but that "probably" happened to be true… My bad, but you'll have to get it by your own." Barrel shrugged his shoulders.

"Hum. Guess I'll need to use my brains. Wait. Top class worldwide business and some royal family or another… Hmmm… I've got someone in mind. Especially regarding the "royal family" part… Let's go ask for a favor ASAP. Later, Mr. Barrel." Enzan muttered.

"Ijuuin Enzan!" Barrel called out when he was going out.

"What now?" Enzan didn't bother to turn around.

"It's about Blues, but… Blues will probably stand and block our path in front of us as the enemy from now on… When that time comes… Will you cut them up?"

"If Blues' heart has been totally imprisoned by the "Dark" then… When that time comes I'll beat Blues. It'd be bad if I let that slip by." He sighed.

"I see."

"So?"

Barrel didn't reply so Enzan came out of the room and found Meijin kicking and punching a lobby vending machine.

"What do you mean, "out of business"? Return me the 500 Zenny I just gave you! Oi! Foot Man! Can't you do something about it?"

"My ball will fall!" Foot Man laughed.

"He still won't listen much to me. Lovely. I need to improve his programming." Meijin cursed.

"My foot will rot!" He sang.

"Oi! Stop singing silly rhymes: get my money back!"

"My arm will ram!"

"OI!"

"My jump will pump!"

"Stop doing silly things already! You machine! Get ready to experience Meijin's revenge! Program! Stick out your face!" Meijin growled.

"Stick out ya neck and go become Mr. Universe!"

"Who the heck reprogrammed the machine?"

"Otilio – sama came by!" The machine announced.

"Otilio? Who the heck is that?" Meijin looked baffled.

"Your long-lost _aniki_~!" The machine exclaimed.

"NO WAY~!" Meijin's jaw hit the floor.

"That's so… ridiculous. Really." Enzan muttered.

"Totally. Let us hurry." Colonel suggested.

"_Aniki_ will give you the Crushing Hug! Nyah, hah, hah!"

12:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… My. It if isn't Ijuuin… What might the matter be?"

"Princess. Have you received an invitation letter for a party aboard the SS Queen Cheko?"

Enzan had come all the way out to Oran Island Area and met up with Princess Pride outside of the mines.

"Invitation letter? Yeah. It did reach me, true." She admitted.

"I am in need of that for my next mission. Or do you prefer to keep it anyway?" Enzan requested.

"I do not really mind. Yet… What do you intend to do by going to such a party anyway?" Pride looked curious.

"I said it before: it's my job."

"Job…? You look stressed, Ijuuin… I pray that nothing happens…" Pride smiled.

"Thanks. So you don't really mind it, Princess?"

"I don't like parties that much. And if that will let you carry out your interesting job, then… It's fine." She calmly replied.

"Good. Take care."

"Goodbye."

_Heh, heh, heh. Go ride the Disaster Queen, Enzan – ku~n! You're gonna be nervous after the early meeting with Buruusu! Oh the face those two lovely boys did… It was delicious… Shock, hatred, grudge, fear, terror, chaos, confusion…! The list is endless! And it was so funny to sabotage a Science Labs vending machine to troll Meijin – san! Heh, heh, heh!_

"… My row will mow!" A voice exclaimed through Pride's PET.

"Not another trolling Navi… Knight Man! Tell them they're rude!"

"Your will!" Knight Man acknowledged.

14:13 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm quite ahead of time… And I better try to keep a low profile during the auction before any "Big Company" jerks try to start a fight… Let's root out Nebula…!"

"Let's hope there isn't too much trouble either."

Enzan reached the harbor and headed for the staff man next to the removable stairs allowing entrance into the ship.

"Do excuse me. Do let me see the invitation letter."

Enzan calmly handed it over and the man read it.

"Yes, it is correct, so please come inside."

Enzan climbed into the ship and looked inside of the hall without being surprised at the blue carpet decoration or a replica of the famed Leonardo Da Vinci panting _The Last Supper_ set to the left of the two main room doors.

"Good decorations… They are really being eye-catching today. They did put some effort on them."

A speaker was turned on and Enzan looked towards it out of pure instinct while paying attention.

"… Ahem. A message for our passengers… The ship will be departing right now… We shall contact you when the party is about to start. Do enjoy this sea trip at your heart's content. Well then. Let us depart."

A foghorn rang out and Enzan spotted how the door had been closed by the crew: he shrugged and headed towards the left spotting a large mirror in a golden-like frame and two sofas plus a small desk set in front of it to sit down and relax.

"Luckily I'm not the type to suffer of sea-sickness. So. Colonel. How should we proceed like?"

"Let's start by searching to check if there are any suspicious guys onboard the ship…" Colonel whispered back.

"Fine."

"Ah, so true~… So I should get it over by when the party begins? Ah, so true~… Counting on you, see~…" A voice muttered with a foreign accent.

Enzan lifted his eyebrows and spotted a suspicious-looking foreigner standing close to the engine room entrance just as a staff man came out of the room and locked the door.

"Have you got disoriented, Mr. Passenger? The engine room is right ahead but the passengers are not allowed inside…"

"Oh… I'm sorry. So… How do I come out into the deck?"

"To come out into the deck just walk this corridor in the opposite direction…" The staff man indicated.

"Oh, I see. _Thank you_!"

"Prey smelled… Coming over here… Should we follow, Colonel?" Enzan suggested in a whisper.

"Let them swim for a bit and let's check the situation out."

"Swim? Didn't bring bathing trunks… And I'm obviously not gonna swim in the ocean…" Enzan looked skeptical.

"By "swim" I meant to let the suspect act as they like in purpose. We'd be in the lookout and that would allow us to witness if the suspect does any suspicious movements." Colonel explained.

"I like that plan. Let's go with it. Strategy: start… Target: foreigner man…! Time for a dip…!" Enzan added at the end with a hint of sarcasm.

"D-did you really get it?"

Enzan grinned and stuffed both hands into the pockets before he came out into the vast front deck: he immediately spotted a slightly elevated stage where a Net Battling machine had been set at and two persons were using it.

"A regular businessman… Hum. That other man looks intriguing."

The "other man" was a man on his late 20s or early 30s who appealed as standing about a meter and eighty tall: his hair was brown and messy and his eyes' irises were brown too.

He wore a white cloth around and over the head with some black ink – drawn marks in the front of the cloth which meant to represent fireworks' explosions.

He then had a green sleeveless jumper over with two pockets on the front covering his chest and extending until the hips: the shirt beneath it was white in color with two round reddish ellipsoids set over the shoulders yet the sleeves ended around the shoulders.

His pants were also of a greenish color and he sported black boots with red soils and three white-like buttons set in a column within the inner side of his boots.

He lastly had cloth robes on to seemingly protect his hands when working with fireworks.

"Heh, heh, heh! I spent 10 million Z into customizing my Navi so… It's impossible for them to lose! Heh, heh, heh!" The businessman gloated and chuckled.

"What the. Don't get in the midst of the battle!" He grumbled when Enzan tried to walk over there.

Enzan ignored them and another man of the staff walked over to him while making a welcoming smile.

"Hi, good afternoon! I'm part of this ship's crew, but I'm in charge of having passengers spend an exciting time before the party begins: we want them to have a bit of entertainment. One choice is the "Free Net Battle" ongoing atop that stage… And the other is gathering the "stamps" hidden inside of the ship: the "mystery stamp rally"…! Given how the "Free Battle" is now being used why don't you challenge the "mystery stamp rally"?" The man suggested.

_The culprit will most likely wait until the party starts to make a move so why not…_

"Yeah. I accept."

"Alright! Then, going by the hints I give out, search the locations of the "stamps" hidden in this ship and gather them. There are a total of 3 stamps. They're hidden in objects' shadows and everywhere! Well then! I'll tell you the hints! 1st one: turning crazily to the right and left! 2nd one: the maiden which sees the ship's destination. 3rd one: I always reflect something no matter how much light I bounce back. That's all! Place the "stamps" in this thing." The man let out some hints.

He handed Enzan a "Stamp Card" which he pocketed.

"Good luck!"

Enzan nodded and headed over to the bow of the ship and spotted a golden mermaid set there slightly beneath him: he spread his arms wide and closed his eyes as he felt the breeze.

"Ah… Good feeling… The vastness of the ocean… Huh? Ah. There's a stamp placed atop the head of the maiden below me… Let's be careful, though… I don't wanna fall down…"

He crouched then lied on the floor to pass his right hand beneath the railing and picked the stamp which he quickly glued to the "Stamp Card" he carried.

"Good. Stamp get! Next one…"

He stood up and climbed up a set of stairs to head to the command room where he examined the wheel.

"Crazily spinning right and left… So obvious, really. There. Hidden behind the steering wheel… One left…" He grinned.

He came out and down into the deck before heading back inside and over to the sofas next to the large gorgeous mirror.

"I always reflect something no matter how much light I bounce back.… By "no matter how much light I bounce back" they must mean a mirror… And if that mirror is always reflecting something… Heh. Under the sofa…! Last one. Too easy."

He headed back into the deck and signaled for the staff man to come over to him.

"Oh! You've gathered the stamps! Well then, the present is a prize of 1,000 Zenny. Congratulations!"

"Wha! I got done in! W-what strength! My Navi in which I spend 10 million Z into customizing didn't stand a chance at all!" The businessman yelped all of a sudden.

"Heh! A Net Battle is fought with feelin'! Getting stronger just from the outside and just by bettin' money… That won't make ya any thougher: it lacks hardening!" The other battler shot back.

"H-heck! Who let these savage guys onboard?"

The businessman ran outta the deck like he was gonna be slaughtered and Enzan formed a smug smile.

"What… Rich guys are but wimps! Isn't there any other stronger guy?" The Net Battler called out.

"He is an Operator we invited to stir up this "Battling Challenge" … Rokushakudama Nenji. There are none who have managed to beat him insofar. Can you defeat him?" The staff man challenged.

"This looks like a challenge unlike others."

Enzan headed over to the machine and smiled.

"I'm Ijuuin Enzan. I accept your challenge."

"It'd seem ya have some guts! Don't ya? If ya don't be careful then ya get a big burn!" Rokushakudama Nenji grinned at him.

"Come at full power!"

The ship suddenly shook and everyone gasped.

"What? What was that?" Enzan wondered aloud.

"Ijuuin Enzan. Nebula has gotten in the move or so it'd seem." Colonel dully announced.

"Heck!" Enzan cursed.

"Going from that shaking, then it's obvious that the engine room has been busted… Let's go!" Colonel rallied.

"Yeah! My bad. We'll settle this later." He told Rokushakudama.

"I dunno who ya are but can't be helped." The guy shrugged.

"Trouble! Something might've happened in the engine room…! If memory serves… The engine room's entrance password… What! I can't remember it! _Iikuni_, _nikuii_… Or so I think…" The staff man was muttering aloud and looking stressed.

"… _Ichi, ichi, kyuu, nii, nii, kyuu, ichi, ichi…_ 11292911…" Enzan muttered by deciphering the hint.

Enzan rushed inside and checked the control panel for the engine room where he inputted the code.

"Did that work?" He wondered.

The door beeped and there was the unmistakable sound of a lock being disengaged.

"It opened…!" He sighed in relief.

"We dunno what'll be there. Don't lower the guard."

"I know."

Enzan came into the room where he found four gigantic machines set in a row and a ladder leading to an air duct.

"This is the engine room? Let's try to Plug-In."

He began to search the devices until he stumbled upon what he was looking for in the leftmost one.

"Let's hope I can Plug – In into this device… Good. It has a terminal to do Plug – In…! I can Plug – In…! Plug In! Colonel EXE, Transmission!" He muttered as he found it and then took out the PET which he aimed at the port.

Colonel came inside of the "Radar Cybernetics" and immediately spotted a Nebula Navi in front of him.

"A Nebula Navi, it'd seem." He merely muttered.

"Geh! Who the heck are ya?" The Navi cursed.

"We won't hand over the "Boost System" to you guys."

"Che! You intend to get in the way!" The Navi grumbled.

The Navi fled and Colonel shrugged as he began to follow.

"Colonel. Let's chase them!" Enzan rallied.

Colonel merely nodded and made his way through the small "Cybernetics" until he found a Virus set in front of the Warp Point leading to the adjacent device.

"… Do they really think this kind of Virus will slow me down? Ijuuin Enzan!" He called out after scoffing.

"Let's go! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Screen Divide! Hah. Weak. Let's go!"

Colonel rushed into the "AC Cybernetics" and did find another Virus blocking his way.

"Viruses again? Go ahead, Ijuuin Enzan."

"They're all rubbish after all. Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Colonel Cannon! Air Hockey! Hah! Done."

Colonel jumped over the exploding Viruses and then reached the "Propeller Cybernetics" where he found the third consecutive Virus blocking his path.

"There's no need to say anything. Go ahead, Ijuuin Enzan."

"Leave it to me, Colonel! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Copy Damage! Screen Divide! Triple Bomb! Hah! Good."

Colonel made it to the "Engine Cybernetics" where he found the Nebula Navi growling in frustration.

"Heck! You already here?"

"Get ready." Colonel merely replied.

"Let's Plug – Out! Strategy change!" The Operator exclaimed.

"Heck! I'll remember this!" The Navi cursed.

"Colonel! Let's give chase!" Enzan rallied.

Enzan retrieved Colonel and spotted the Nebula agent, the foreign man, there, next to the stairs of the room.

"What the…? Aha!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Yikes!" The Operator gasped.

"There you are!" Enzan exclaimed as he began to give chase.

"Wait, Ijuuin Enzan!" Colonel commanded.

"He's running away, you know!"

"No need to rush… The culprit is still inside of the ship… And we know their goal as well. A reckless chase is dangerous. The guy will surely show up in the party stage. Calm down: we'll surely catch them." Colonel told him to calm him down.

"… Fine."

"To all passengers: the party's preparations are now completed so please head for the stage, ladies and gentlemen." The speaker announced at that moment.

"Good timing. Let's go catch that cheap guy." Enzan formed a smug smile.

He rushed into the party stage and looked around at the decoration: there was a buffet set in the eastern corner and some mirrors in the corners and on the back of the stage which contained a "Solid Image" exhibit projected by a device: an announcer climbed on-stage.

"… _Ladies &… Gentlemen! _Beloved public: we are honorably thankful that you Excellencies came over to we Big Company's "Booster System" complete showcase party. By combining the "Booster System" with an existing program, its performance will be increased by leaps and bounds. You can combine it for construction projects, software development and, obviously, into Net Navis as well! And what's more: today we'll be selling it for 300 million Z!" The announcer proudly announced.

"300 million! First time that I see an auction going over 100 million…! That thing gotta be really powerful then if they're staking so much in this auction…!" Even Enzan was surprised.

"300 million… Cheap! Let us see the product already!" The earlier businessman grinned.

"300 million for us IPC is… Hard. Last year's benefits fell slightly short of 100 million so it'd take 3 years to gather that much money…" Enzan quickly calculated in a slightly grim tone of voice.

_Oh so these guys are above you eh? Who knows, Enzan – ku~n? Maybe one of them is an agent of Samsung? Heh, heh, heh._

"Well then! We shall display it! The "Booster System" is currently inside of this display stand so please witness it! Please go ahead!"

The projector displayed the program, which was a spheroid with two pyramids set above and below it and floating over a column with a hollow square cavity: 8 Guardsmen Navis were protecting it.

"Public! This is the "Booster System" our company has developed! Surrounding the "Booster System" we have Navi Guardsmen strenghtened through the "Booster System"…! Their performance is about 10 times that of a Normal Navi's ones!" He exclaimed.

_Cool, guy. Did Mr. Jobs give you advice into how to sound dramatic?_

"O~h!" The public exclaimed.

"Ahem, ahem! Well then! Let us show the power of the "Booster System" right now!" The announcer suggested.

_Oh yeah. Go ahead, Charlie~!_

All lights suddenly went off and the room turned pitch-black to the consternation of everyone.

"B-blackout! W-what's going on?"

"Guwa~h! Nowa~h!" The Navis yelled.

"W-what's going on? The "Booster System"…! Is the "Booster System" alright? Hurry up and turn on the electricity!"

The lights came back on to reveal how the Navis had been beaten down and the "Booster System" was missing.

"A~h! The "Booster System"…!"

"By all the…!" Enzan cursed.

"T-the "Booster System" got stolen…!"

"Hell! Where's that foreign guy at? Wait…"

Enzan spotted one of the staff guarding the entrance/exit so he rushed over there.

"Excuse me. During the blackout… Did anyone try to come out?" He asked of him.

"_No_… Given how I was protecting this entrance… Not a single kitty has come in or out!" The man replied with a slight foreign accent.

"They're still here then!"

"Who the heck is this guy? A suspicious guy was hiding underneath a table~! Who the heck are you?" The businessman suddenly yelled from near the stage.

Enzan spotted that they'd caught the Nebula agent.

"D-dunno what cha mean…" The man tried to play innocent.

"Feigning is pointless! This guy is a Nebula grunt!"

"… Wha~t? OI! Where's the "Booster System"? Hurry it up and take it out! Take it out NOW! Uorua~h!" The announcer gripped his shirt's neck and began to shake him.

"W-w-wasn't me!" The man defended himself.

"Shaddup! Think we're gonna believe that! Check his belongings!" The announcer growled.

"H-hi~h! _Oh no~_!" The man yelped.

They quickly searched him but the "Booster System" did not seem to be anywhere.

"… Ain't anywhere inside of the PET or the clothes! Where did you hide it at?" The announcer demanded.

"That's why I said I didn't know! When I thought I could take it the blackout happened!" The man exclaimed.

"How odd. There's a second culprit then?" Enzan wondered.

"True! There's another culprit besides me!" The agent insisted.

"Wha~t? Then the true culprit is inside of this room?"

"Ijuuin Enzan… As far as I can see all persons inside of this room are unrelated. During the blackout, the culprit somehow managed to Plug – In into the display, beat the 8 Guardsmen Navi in one instant and stole the "Booster System"…" Colonel calmly whispered.

"Operating a Navi in the middle of the blackness isn't easy and that's my experience talking. Besides, being able to beat the "Booster System" strengthened Guardsmen Navis as well… Gotta be close to impossible even for me… Unless there was a trick to it… Let's investigate for a bit though…" Enzan muttered.

_Oho. Investigator Enzan – ku~n comes into the scene~!_

Enzan inspected the mirrors and looked at their positions: he then glanced at his PET and again at the mirrors while seemingly drawing a pathway along the room.

"Hum. Call me Watson but I think I'm drawing up an idea of the trick set in this room…"

_Yeah. You're Watson Jr. alright, Enzan – ku~n! I was interested in this thing when the Doc told me so I came along for the ride and just in time: this turned intriguing. Heh, heh, heh._

"And that is…?" Colonel asked of him.

"Well… The mirror looks suspicious…" Enzan timidly let out.

"The mirror… What do you mean?" Colonel rubbed his chin.

"Well… The mirror can reflect things so… Were some light to hit this mirror it would rebound…" Enzan offered.

"During Plug – In the Navi is sent via IR light… I see. If rebound by the mirror then you can Plug – In from a remote spot! If we trace the mirrors from the display stand then we'll know the culprit's whereabouts, you mean to say…" Colonel seemed to guess the rest.

"… See? I think far ahead. Let's follow the mirrors and search for the culprit." Enzan grinned.

_I applaud your deductions skills, Watson Jr.! Heh, heh, heh._

Enzan examined how the doors also had mirrors built into the inner face of them and then looked in the direction of the engine room: he ran over there and checked how the duct was badly closed.

"Hum. I feel the wind… That's gotta be an air duct… The culprit could've project gone outside from there… Let's go!"

He climbed into the duct and followed it until he came out into the uppermost deck next to the command room: one of the staff had been knocked into the ground.

"Oi! Are you alright?"

"I am a-alright… H-hurry to the command room right ahead… the ship has… been hijacked… Ugh!" The man managed to mutter.

"What the hell!"

_Now hijacking as well? This is turning like a movie even. Heh, heh, heh, heh! _

"You culprit! Hand over the "Booster System"! Huh! You're…!"

"Y-you're the guy from before!"

The culprit happened to be Rokushakudama Nenji who was standing in the higher level and looking surprised.

"Rokushakudama Nenji! Why are you doing this?"

"What are ya sayin'! If I get the "Booster System" then my fireworks will become bigger and more beautiful!"

"Fireworks, you say?" Enzan frowned.

_What, just for that? I thought he was an agent of Apple! Heh, heh, heh, heh! Mr. Jobs would sell his soul to the Demon God to get his hands on this thing! Heh, heh, heh, heh!_

"Oh yeah! I'm a Cyber-fireworks maker! I'll choose whatever method it takes to make my fireworks bigger and more beautiful! Heck! If ya really want to get the "Booster System" back then Plug – In there and try to defeat my Navi who is inside of this ship's Cybernetics!" Rokushakudama challenged.

"Hmpf. You won't negotiate… Whatever. Let's go! Plug In! Colonel EXE, Transmission!"

_I'll go on ahead and release any systems that guy may have set to slow you down… I want to see the battle right away!_

Colonel made it to the ship's Cybernetics: he followed a road above the water while he glanced how there was a large section of the Cyber World flooded having currents, whirlpools and air pockets: he reached the last section where Rokushakudama Nenji's Net Navi.

"You came… I'm Napalm Man. If you don't defeat me then you won't get the "Booster System" back…"

_Napalm Man? Didn't Saito beat this guy when he went on exploring the "WWW Area" after the collapse of "Gospel"? He was the second of the three high-level Navis there… It'd seem he got rebuilt and managed to find himself a fitting Operator… Intriguing. My word._

"… Hmpf! So I only need to defeat you lowlife. A simple mission." Colonel merely replied.

"Go, Colonel! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"I'll blow you up!" Napalm Man exclaimed.

_Go!_

"Hah! Take this! Vulcan Arm! Napalm Bomb!"

"Hum! Screen Divide! Thunder Ball! Mega Energy Bomb!"

Napalm Man formed an automated gun on the field which locked on panels and when Colonel stepped on them it shot a volley of bullets while Napalm Man himself could throw napalm-filled bombs into the field to set some places on flame: Colonel came up with a combo to inflict major damage and the guy grumbled before getting ready for more.

"More, more and more~!" He exclaimed.

"High-level destructive power…" Colonel muttered.

"Hikari told me this guy was designed by Wily to test Navis and try to select one strong enough to lead the new WWW and help him trying to break the "Guardian Program" sealing Proto up. But he obviously refused and dismantled the whole ploy." Enzan explained.

"A former WWW Net Navi… Designed for battle… Hum."

"Whaddya muttering? Take this! Napalm Bomb!"

"Gotcha."

"What!"

"Ocean Seed!"

"Whack! That hurt! I hate water!" Napalm Man growled.

"Oh yeah? Then you shouldn't have come here: this is a passenger ship above the ocean you know." Enzan taunted.

"Yoyo!"

"Whack! This jerk…! Napalm Bomb! Napalm Bomb! Napalm Bomb! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!" Napalm Man laughed.

"Drill Arm!"

"Uwo~h! That hurt too! Man! This guy is no joke!" He grumbled.

"I obviously am not… Let's go, Ijuuin Enzan!"

"Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword!"

"No way~!"

"Napalm Man!"

_Too bad._

Napalm Man collapsed and panted while Colonel looked at something before setting his sights on him.

"Napalm Man. I've taken back the "Booster System"."

"Wha! When did you…?"

"I took it during the battle… Since there are a lot of stubborn guys who won't give up so easily even if they lose a battle…" Colonel dully announced.

"Bloody hell… My dreamed fireworks…!" Rokushakudama cursed and sounded frustrated.

"Napalm Man! The final blow…!"

"Colonel. Stop." Enzan commanded.

"What do you intend, Ijuuin Enzan?"

"This is reality, Rokushakudama Nenji. Stealing a system from others to make fireworks won't make people happy to begin with. Why don't you try to improve them yourself before resorting to such loot? That's how the world works like: we gotta try and not do vile acts."

"Like you say… I got obsessed with going and trying to produce splendid fireworks and it looks like that, as a maker, I forgot what's more important…"

"That doesn't mean that there isn't a way to." Colonel muttered.

_You mean to say that there's gotta be a way to get to his goal without having to go for such desperate things…_

"Did ya say your name was Ijuuin?" Rokushakudama asked.

"Yeah."

"Thanks." He thanked him.

"Napalm Man and Rokushakudama Nenji… Come along with us and fight together against Nebula." Colonel offered.

"Wha! We two?" He gasped in surprise.

"Correct… And on the day we manage to defeat Nebula then you'll surely be spotted by society as one warrior who fought against Nebula… If you do that then society will surely pay attention to you two… If it happens, then those complaints will reach society as well…"

"Well… Then I accept! Whaddya think, Napalm Man?"

"Oho. I'm glad with the outcome too!" Napalm Man sighed in relief.

"If we have Napalm Man's power then we can blow up the Nebula grunts in End Area 1! I'll be counting on you, Rokushakudama Nenji and Napalm Man… Let's go back to base and gather for a strike into End Area 1!"

_Heh, heh, heh. So you're gonna retrieve Buruusu no matter what, eh, Enzan – ku~n? Heh, heh, heh. Bring it on! "Team of Colonel"…! _


	10. Chapter 10: Welcome back

**Chapter 10: Welcome back**

19:44 PM (Japan Time), Friday March the 17th…

"…You came again sans disgust, huh? Ya won't get past here!"

"Ijuuin Enzan! Coming!"

Colonel made it back to End Area 1 and the platoon of 12 grunts came into the area again: one of them took a step forward too.

"Heh, heh, heh! Coming back alone: what a silly guy! We'll go all out into ya, alone or not!" He mocked.

"Napalm Man! Show me your power!"

Napalm Man came in and glanced at Colonel over his right shoulder while looking slightly annoyed.

"Che! Don't command me in a bossy manner!" He grumbled.

"Ya alone can't win so ya summoned a helper, huh? However! Even if you increase your numbers by one… That won't change that you've got an overwhelming disadvantage!" The grunt boasted.

"Hmpf. I wonder about that. Napalm Man! Blow them up!"

"Don't order me 'round each time! Even if ya hadn't told me to, I'd blown 'em up anyway! Ura~h! Blow away~!" Napalm Man roared.

He tossed one "Napalm Bomb" into the area and the explosion took out the 12 guys at once.

"… Gwrya~h! R-Regal – sama…! We shall…! Offer…! No excuses…! Ngna~h!" The lead grunt roared before all of them were deleted and the road got cleared.

"What the heck? What really weak grunts! There obviously gotta be a stronger jerk up ahead, right?" Napalm Man asked.

"True…" Colonel confirmed.

_My word._ "Demon Prince" inwardly giggled.

"This blow seems to have triggered fire in my heart! I wanna blow more stuff… I'll be waiting on ahead!" Napalm Man laughed.

"Ijuuin Enzan! We've got no time to sit idle… Let's go!"

"Go!"

Colonel rushed down the avenue while "Demon Prince" tagged behind him as he met up with Napalm Man while inside of End Area 2.

"The other team members aren't ere yet?" Napalm Man asked them.

"I think they'll soon appear though…" Colonel confirmed with a nod.

No sooner he'd finished his wording than both Knight Man and Shadow Man came in.

"I kept you waiting… Another request got prolonged…" Shadow Man admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You came. Let me introduce you right now to the attacking member, Napalm Man." Colonel introduced.

"I go shootin' with a dong: be careful not to get hit!"

"… Hmmm… Hum, hum! Heh, heh…! From what I can grasp… He holds quite some power…! So… Colonel… Today's target is your everyday opponent?" Shadow Man asked.

"… Huff. You could say so. There's no mistaking it: they're a formidable foe…" Colonel trailed off and looked resigned.

"If you say so much… What kind of foe is it?"

_Someone you guys know about… Expect for the rookie… Heh, heh! Go ahead and look on!_

Colonel signaled the NNW segment of the area and they spotted "Dark" Blues standing in control while having a smug smile on his face and with his body glowing with power.

"… Hmmm… Heh, heh, heh! So! It'd seem that those "Team" cowards have finally gathered…" He taunted.

"Huh! That's… Blues! So that's what you meant to say…"

"True. If we don't delete that guy then we won't be able to "release" this area… We must all be careful that we don't bring unnecessary emotions into the strategy…" Colonel warned.

"Acknowledged."

"And so, this area's secondary problem is… Look at that."

Colonel signaled the ground ahead of them and they spotted that the density and numbers of "Dark Panels" was higher than the usual.

"Well then. This area's extra problematic spot… Look at that. As you can see the numbers of "Dark Panels" are above the usual and there are just a few "Item Panels"…" He warned.

"… And, by association, we'd be concerned about the "Order Points"…"

"Correct. In short: we've got no other choice but to extensively "Liberate" panels with the few "Order Points" we have…" Colonel concluded.

"When it comes to extensive "Liberations" then my "Napalm Bomb" should be useful. But given its high destructive power then any items in the inside will be destroyed too… With the exception of the barrier release key: since that's sturdy then I believe it should be alright… " Napalm Man offered before placing a warning.

_Oh my. A double-edged weapon, then?_

"Did you hear that, Ijuuin Enzan?"

"Y-yeah…" Enzan muttered.

"Don't worry. If it's possible we'd rather try to capture Blues than to delete him. But you must be ready for the worst-case-possibility." Colonel warned him.

"… I know. Let's start." Enzan turned serious and snapped outta it.

"Hum! The targeted "Liberation" is within 10 Phases. I'll be counting on you!" He told the team.

"I go first then! Check out my "Napalm Bomb" and let's open a way across this bog-like area!" Napalm Man rallied.

_Let me see it too… Napalm Man! _

"… Colonel." Shadow Man whispered to him.

"… I see." Colonel seemed to guess something.

Shadow Man didn't move from his position and merely placed his middle and index fingers together while aiming upwards: "Demon Prince" didn't see another Shadow Man forming behind him which kicked him from behind and made him fall into the ground.

"Whack! Not again! You gotta have ESP or something!" "Demon Prince" groaned as he tried to stand up.

"Where is Rock Man?" Colonel demanded.

"In your imagination, Mr. Universe!" He grumbled.

"We aren't going to play." Shadow Man told him as they aimed the _katana_ at him.

"… Let's make a deal then… I'll give you a hint… If you can retrieve Blues intact! Heh, heh, heh! Oh! _Partner_! You came!"

"What!"

The other Navis (Napalm Man was busy being Operated by Enzan and fighting Viruses) looked at the entrance and found no – one: they looked ahead of them and spotted "Demon Prince" calmly running over the "Dark Panels" until he reached "Dark" Blues who kneeled in front of him and made a reverence.

"Demon Prince – sama."

"Erase all HQ data from you now. Everything. Now."

"Roger."

"The rest is up to you. Good luck trying to find a way around this, you guys! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Che. Bothersome mice." Colonel grumbled.

"What happened?" Enzan asked.

"That "Demon Prince" again… He's challenged us to try to free Blues in exchange for a hint on Rock Man…" Colonel admitted.

"He won't make it easy but we won't chicken out either. Shadow Man! We need to find the key so it's your turn to shine!" Enzan called out.

"My pleasure… That guy is still around, hiding high in the air… I can feel the mark I placed on him but that "mark" only allows me to detect him when he's less than 10 meters from my position…" Shadow Man announced.

"That's something." Enzan shrugged.

"… Hah! There. 1st key… Gotta find the 2nd one next…"

"Knight Man: we need you to free that "Dark Hole"…"

"Your will! Hah! Dishonorable Viruses! Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"Lastly, Colonel… Let's make way for the area where Shadow Man is at given how there's another "Dark Hole" there…"

"Roger. Screen Divide! Hah! Hrah! Colonel Cannon! There. Road opened and our "Phase" is over… Blues get his phase now."

"… Who will the first one to become prey for my sword? Heh… Heh, heh…!" He taunted.

"Look: a new "guardian" who wields a sword and looks like a mutated version of those "Swordy" Viruses…" Shadow Man spotted.

"We'll have to learn that guy's attack pattern and be careful with the other two because they've experience a level up…" Colonel warned while rubbing his chin.

"Hah! Guardian and whatever. I'll blow them up easily! Come! Ya useless weaklings! I wanna blow ya up!" Napalm Man yelled.

"Go!" Enzan rallied.

"Heh, heh, heh… Napalm Man looks like he'd blow the whole area up and wouldn't have enough… Amusing, truly." "Demon Prince" giggled.

"That tune sounds familiar." Knight Man muttered.

"True. It also sounds familiar to me." Shadow Man admitted.

"Yeah? Now that ya mention it I think it does but I can't remember when I heard that…" Napalm Man admitted as he finished blowing up some more Viruses.

"… Yo. _Aibou_. The pancakes are ready." "Demon King" whispered over his radio.

"Pancakes? Why would I need those?" "Demon Prince" seemed to frown.

"Dunno." "Demon King" giggled as a response.

"That ain't an answer!" He grumbled

"Invent Answer Man." "Demon King" giggled.

"How ridiculous." He fumed next.

"Another "Dark Hole" fell and we found the 2nd key…! Let's move on forward!" Enzan commanded.

"The Doc will need some Earl Grey tea soon enough."

"Well… That could be true, yeah, but…"

"But Tea Man and Teapot Man are waging war to each other over their roles." He laughed at his joke.

"Please…" "Demon Prince" groaned.

"Please a peace!" He laughed.

"Then it wasn't a drunkard but you were playing those rhymes?"

"Correct, Watson Jr." He confirmed.

"That's Enzan – kun's title so don't rob it off!" He scolded.

"My, my. Bravo, Ijuuin." He made a mock applause.

"Hmpf." Enzan was unimpressed.

"Hum! No evil-doers will stand in the way of justice! Kingdom Crusher! Be gone evil-doers!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"Ops. They're coming closer and they have just another two "Dark Holes" left to "Liberate" before they can face _Buruusu_…"

"Blues a blues!" "Demon King" laughed.

"Go codfish." "Demon Prince" settled.

"My. Truly."

"Truly… What's "truly"?" He asked with a hint of confusion.

"Your face. Truly tempting." His partner replied.

"Oi, oi… A guy like me is "tempting"? Don't you need someone to check that?" He sounded nervous.

"Nope. It's fashionable." "Demon King" argued back.

"Fashion is as speedy as Jupiter's daily rotation! Forget that: in less than 24 hours it'll have changed for something new by the hand of ZARA and the others." "Demon Prince" scolded.

"Last "Dark Hole"…! I'll do it!" Colonel exclaimed.

"How speedy…! It's been 5 "Phases" and they've come so far…! Their Folders have improved a lot and I blame Higureya for that." "Demon Prince" muttered.

"… No more "Dark Holes" and we have to end our "Phase" here: we must free some space around Blues to get to him. Knight Man should go first because he is strong against sword-types…" Enzan decided.

"Please count on me!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"Good. Napalm Man should go next given his burning nature which would burn hotter than a wild fire…" Shadow Man chuckled.

"Hah! That's right! I burn hotter than a wild fire!" He confirmed.

"…Heh! So! You've managed to get this far _sans_ the great me, eh?" "Dark" Blues taunted Knight Man.

"Blues – dono! Do awaken!"

"Yeah, Blues! Can't you hear my voice?" Enzan asked.

"Heh, heh! Useless, useless! This body is being ruled by the "Dark Heart"! If ya wanna beat me then ya gotta delete me 'long this body!" "Dark" Blues laughed.

"Huh, huh… Can't be helped, then… Ijuuin Enzan – dono! Do handle the Operating." Knight Man sighed and called out to Enzan.

"Blues…! Che…! There's no other way around…!" He cursed.

"Let us go for it!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"Come! Fool! Long Sword!"

"Air Hockey! Drill Arm! Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"Gurah! Grah! Gu~h…! Bloody hell!" "Dark Blues" cursed as he took three attacks in a row.

"… And given the double damage rate then he'll be weakened soon enough and defeated…! Let's go, Knight Man! "Mega" Battle Chip: Django! Slot In!" Enzan announced.

Django, the "Solar Boy", showed up on the field and made a casket appear in the middle of it as three boulders fell down from the ceiling and three beams of light circled around it: "Dark" Blues roared and collapsed into the ground.

"No way… The "Dark Power" should've made ME invincible! I have… lost…? Uwa~h!" He roared.

"Enzan… sa… ma…!" Blues' weak voice called out.

"Che. But you still need to try to bring the real Blues out you know! I'm still winning!" "Demon Prince" taunted.

"Bothersome mouse!" Colonel grumbled.

"Dark" Blues managed to stand up but his body was frizzling and he looked unable to move.

"Ngh… I won't lose to… the likes of you lowlifes!"

"… B-Blues…! Wake up…! Don't lose to that idiotic "Dark Power"…! BLUES!" Enzan called out.

"Grh…! What's this hot sensation welling up in my chest…? C-can't be…! B-Blues…! You should've been totally swallowed by the "Dark"…!" "Dark" Blues cursed next.

"Blues!" Enzan kept on calling out.

"E-Enzan – sama…" Blues weakly called out.

"Shut up! Shut up! I'll have you be swallowed inside of the "Dark Swirl" once again! Nga~h!"

"Dark" Blues formed a mass of energy around his body and roared while Colonel gasped.

"The "Dark Power" is increasing…! Is it at its limit already?"

"Blues' heart won't lose to the "Dark Power"… I believe on him! Blues! Wake up!" Enzan rallied.

"Guo~h… Wo~h! Huff, huff… Heh… Heh, heh, heh… Captured him… Captured him! Completely! You lowlifes are stupid: you should've delivered the last blow back then! There'll be no second chance for you lowlifes!" "Dark" Blues exploded into laughter.

"W-what frightening power…! Can't be compared to that of before…! Do we cut it…? But… However…!" Colonel grimly muttered.

"Prize for driving me so far… So that you don't suffer I'll erase all of you at once…!" He taunted.

"Stop, Blues! Can't you hear my voice? Has Blues totally died by now or what? Come back! Blues! That's an order! We need your power and our mission is to defeat Nebula! BLUES!" Enzan kept on calling out apparently not wanting to give up.

"Give it up, Enzan – ku~n! I win!"

"Bwah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Ijuuin Enzan! You lowlife's voice can't reach Blues anymore! This is… the end! Dark Sword!"

"Dark" Blues began to form the dreaded blade but he began to frizzle again and the blade broke down.

"Ugrah! B-Blues? Diehard jerk!"

"E-Enzan – sama… I won't… lose, sir…! As long as I hear you voice, sir…! I won't lose to this idiotic "Dark Power"…!" Blues called out.

"What in the…!" "Demon King" sounded baffled and spoke aloud.

"I knew it: he was chatting with his accomplice!" Shadow Man muttered as if he got confirmation.

"Blues! Shatter the "Dark Power"…! Blues!" Enzan yelled.

"My duty is protect Enzan – sama…! And fight with my companions against Nebula…!" Blues' voice grew stronger.

"Guh! I'd better if you… went off to nap…!" "Dark" Blues cursed.

"I w-won't lose no matter what!"

"T-this body is… mine!"

"Get out, you fake!" Blues' voice sounded confident by now.

"BURUUSU~!" Enzan exclaimed.

There was a sudden outburst of white light and some sounds before it dimmed and everyone gasped upon seeing how Blues' colors had returned to normal.

"Blues…?"

"I shall… offer… no… apologies… Enzan… sama…! I heard you voice, sir…! I am… ready for… the next… mission…!"

He suddenly collapsed face-down into the ground and the group quickly checked on him.

"…He's sleeping! It'd seem he could overcome the "Dark Power"… Ijuuin Enzan! Now that Blues is back my duty will expire. I'll transfer Blues over there." Colonel announced with a smile.

"I owe you a lot, Colonel!"

"There's no need for thanks: this is a job too. Blues EXE: transfer!"

"No way! No way! NO WAY!" "Demon Prince" exclaimed.

"We win!" Colonel told him.

"… Che… ! Grftx! Grah! Rock Man is alive and unhurt: I'll give you guys that! But when you meet him you might not recognize him… Given his behavior…!" He let out.

"You lowlifes… You've turned him into a puppet?"

"Not exactly."

"Extortion. You use Hikari – hakase as extortion!" Pride exclaimed over the line.

"Good catch, Princess – sama! Well then! Farewell!"

He suddenly vanished and the group sighed in relief as the area began to regain its usual coloring: Colonel looked at the group.

"…I firstly must apologize to you guys. Originally, were Blues to have lost his self then I should've cut it… Hadn't Blues recovered his self back then you guys would've been in danger… My judgement as "Leader" was _naïve_…" He told them with a sigh.

"I liked Colonel – dono's spirit… Anyone would've cut Blues in that spot… However, that'd been disregarding the danger… I believed Blues would overcome the "Dark"." Knight Man told him.

"All's good if it ends well, right? Blues, huh? Sealing up the "Dark Power"… Man! What a strong guy…"

"… Hum! Heh, heh, heh…! Colonel! Even you got carried away, it'd seem…" Shadow Man chuckled.

"You guys…"

"… Well then let us Plug – Out! We did a good work today! Colonel – dono! Thou should go to Barrel - dono's place and make sure to rest as well." Knight Man suggested to him.

"Hmpf… Well then… Guess I should…"

"By the way… Where is Ijuuin Enzan at?" Dark Miyabi asked.

"There: on the Science Labs Command Room…" Barrel replied.

"…Enzan – sama… I shall offer no apologies."

"…Don't mind that! You're not to blame! Welcome back… Blues…!" Enzan told him.

"Ijuuin Enzan… It'd be wise to have Blues undergo some scanning and repairing…" Barrel called out.

"I knew that."

"Tonight, my Program – kun brothers… The revolution!" A voice called out from close by.

"The bloody vending machine is acting cozy again! When will someone go and bother to fix it? I can't work without my _cappuccino_ cup!" Meijin cursed aloud.

"My beak will peak!"

"Shaddup! Gimme my _cappuccino_ cup you machine!"

"Revolution, my brethrens! King under the Mountain: gather the dwarves and conquer the lands of your parents! My dock will clock!"

"At least they don't speak in _katakana_ anymore…" Rokushakudama muttered with a shrug.

"MY CAPPUCCINO~! GIVE IT TO ME~!" Meijin pleaded.

"My deck will peck!

"WHY, YOU~…!"

20:57 PM (Japan Time)…

"…Bothersome Blues… Who'd said he'd be able to push back that dose of "Dark Power" which had been deeply dug in… It'd seem I've underestimated their power somewhat… Were Blues become able to control the "Dark Power" then that would be troublesome… Che. If I could make Hikari Yuuichirou confess ASAP and complete the research… If I get my hands on the research report he owns then my ambition would be achieved, hence why I need it…"

Dr. Regal was standing inside of his command room while looking southwards and grumbling aloud.

"Regal – sama…" A voice called out from the computer.

"… Cosmo Man, huh." He muttered without bothering to turn away or look over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir."

"Blues has been regained and the Internet Areas we rule over are being "released" one after the other… Truly discomforting…"

"Regal – sama, sir. I have an idea, sir. A strategy to destroy that "Navi Team" which conflicts us from the inside…!" The one named Cosmo Man eagerly exclaimed.

"… Interesting. Give it a try… Let those fools who dirty our sublime ideals be struck by a hammer of anger!" He rubbed his beard and sounded amused.

"Y-yes, sir!"

"Where is that "report" at…?" He wondered.

"My crash will trash! My bang will gang! My couple will quadruple! My twice will rice!" A voice rang out.

Dr. Regal got a twitch over the right eye and began to grumble under his breath while some noise rang out through the speakers which sounded like a fight…

21: 05 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Yo! Guys. Awake?"

"You. Whaddya want now?"

"Yeah. What happened to Buruusu?"

"We underestimated him truth to be told…"

"Oh yeah? Take that. You got a goal scored in your goalpost."

The twins had been discussing something in the room they were closed into when "Demon Prince" informed them through the slit and sounding slightly resigned.

"But the Doc admitted your dad is hiding some "research report" or another which he needs no matter what… And the remaining "Darkloid" Cosmo Man has thought of something to destroy that foolish "Team" from the insides…" He teased.

"Yesssir. We're cleverer than the "brain"…" "Demon King" added with a little chuckle.

"What! You lowlifes!" Netto snapped at them.

"My. What vocabulary. Truly." "Demon Prince" giggled.

"And Meijin – sama is struggling with a vending machine who wants to start the Program – kun revolution!"

"How idiotic." Saito growled.

"Well then… Remember! Your codenames are James for Saito and Mark for Hikari - kun! The Fynex Brothers! Heh, heh, heh. Let James Bond play cool: this is the 21st century's new warfare and he'll soon be outta league except as magazine front cover model!" "Demon Prince" sneered.

"My word." "Demon King" added.

They closed the slit and the eyes of both twins shone with barely restrained rage and anger: they formed grimaces and looked about to go and blow both of them up in a fit of pure hatred…


	11. Chapter 11: Inside fighting

**Chapter 11: Inside fighting**

09:09 AM (Japan Time), Saturday March the 18th…

"… Blues' Operator Ijuuin Enzan… Knight Man Operator Princess Pride… Shadow Man Operator Dark Miyabi… Napalm Man Operator Rokushakudama Nenji… We've all gathered."

Barrel had gathered all of the current Operators in the Science Labs' Command Room and he listed their names: Enzan was folding his arms and looked calm.

_It's been a week since this whole mess began. And we've made zero progress in knowing what's happened to Hikari and Rock Man yet we're pushing Nebula out of the Internet at the rate of one area per day approximately so… That's some progress. Well. I guess we'll eventually find something._

"…There's something important going on today it'd seem." Enzan commented aloud.

"Hum. There are 3 reasons why I've staged today's meeting. The 1st one is: members' joint meeting. The Navis might've seen each other already but the Operators have just met each other today for the first time… Having them remember each others' faces… That's always convenient…" Barrel exposed.

"What other reasons are there?" Enzan lifted his eyebrows while being slightly surprised.

"Even thought I said that we're having a joint meeting… I'll introduce a new companion. Come in."

A guy came in: he struck as being on his mid-teens and easily over a meter and sixty tall.

His hair was colored in an azure tint while his eyes' irises were blue and frivolous.

He sported what seemed to be a military raincoat colored lush green: it had a small pocket on the left side of the torso.

The shoulders and forearms were colored ground brown and he had a red band past his left shoulder with the "scope" drawing on it.

The neck was colored red plus a brown band on the rear side and it was tall enough to hide his mouth: it also included a small red triangle pointing downwards which had a drawing set on it.

The drawing was reminiscent of a tree with two curved branches aiming upwards and another two at the base of it aiming downwards: a shield surrounded the drawing and the set was painted in a goldenrod coloring.

The newcomer also had white leather gloves on plus a red cap over his head: he sported brown military boots as well.

"This guy is…?" Dark Miyabi seemed to recognize him.

"Sharo Army 13th Network Unit Commander…"

"Laika." He introduced himself.

"I knew his face rang a bell somewhere." Dark Miyabi muttered.

"You know each other? He looks somewhat frivolous." Princess Pride asked of Dark Miyabi.

"We clashed with each other in pursuit of a prey given how I was requested to delete it while this man had to capture it alive. In the end I won but this guy seemed to believe I was to be his rival on the field so I stayed away from Sharo for a while…" Dark Miyabi admitted.

"You lowlife are the only opponent I can't calculate ahead of time given your arcane tricks." Laika drily snapped at him.

"He is somewhat… blunt. But that should be expected from a military man… Yet he doesn't look older than Ijuuin…" Pride muttered with some surprise.

"I did not intend to sound rude to the Princess of Cream Land. I apologize." He calmly told her.

Enzan merely rubbed his chin and looked curious about the whole affair given his face.

"A-ah… Well… Don't mind it too much… I'm not much older than you anyway and I don't want to be treated like I was the center of the universe… He is somewhat intriguing…" Pride made a weak giggle and tried to shove the topic apart.

"Mr. Barrel. Do hurry up and tell me what this mission is about: I don't have much free time." He called out.

"Gotcha. The 3rd reason I summoned you today… I'll explain about the next mission… The next mission is "releasing" End Area 5. If this mission succeeds then the whole surface Internet will be "released"… After "releasing" End Area 5 we'll corner Nebula's forces into the Reverse Internet and take them out in one fellow swoop." Barrel let out.

"By the way… The "End Area" Internet, where does it belong to?"

"I did briefly explain this to Ijuuin Enzan before but I'll explain it anew: End Area is the Internet of the End City: it has a famous castle where there is a gigantic "shachihoko"…" Barrel explained.

"… "Shachihoko"?" Pride asked.

"A giant fish statue set above the castle's rooftops… It's supposed to be a protector deity defending the castle from fires…" Barrel summed up.

"I see. First time hearing it…" Pride looked intrigued.

"So we're now gonna start the mission? Shouldn't we carry out a recon first?" Enzan suggested.

"There's no need for recon. Leave it to me and Search Man."

"Ya! Ya have some guts, don't ya? Like I thought! In the macho battles the true road is to go from the front and strike with a bang!" Rokushakudama grinned at him.

"That's what it means… Once you guys have made sure you're ready then send the Navis into End Area 4. That's all. And, also, Ijuuin Enzan… There's something I gotta give you so stay behind… Blues' return celebration."

"Gotcha. Hum. A new Folder… Thanks."

09:38 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Dr. Regal, I guess?"

"Who…? How did you know how to contact me?"

"Your movements are pretty well known by my Master. They have an interest on your actions ever since that of the meteor…"

"What? Who the hell are you lowlife?"

"An envoy of the "Secret Empire"… Kanou Shade."

"Kanou Shade…? "Secret Empire"…? What's all this rubbish about?"

"Ah. So we are "rubbish" to you, Dr. Regal? I am afraid my Master will not take this kindly. We rule the whole of the Japan underground. The agencies you used to pick your henchmen… They are subsidiary companies owned by us."

"What!"

"Yet they signed a contract so they will do what you and your two intriguing colleagues do until the organization ceases to exist or you revoke their contracts."

Dr. Regal had been working on something with his base's console when the program Skype came up and someone began to speak with him: Dr. Regal didn't look amused in the least.

"You lowlife… What's your game?"

"My game? You mean my Master's game, Dr. Regal. They are but mere spectators. They shall not intervene yet it is their desire to know what happens there. We have a source which told us in rich details about your "project"… And why you want that "Report"…" The man, Kanou Shade, calmly replied.

"Impossible."

"Not impossible if that source is a close acquaintance of Mr. W."

"What!"

"We shall not intervene yet we will be orbiting around your intriguing projects. Yet don't be surprised if some of the henchmen try to make some "intriguing" visits to "intriguing" places and "intriguing" persons because it is on their nature… Farewell."

"Oi! Wait! Che! They ran… What the hell?

Dr. Regal grumbled and banged the console out of obvious irritation: there was a soft sound like a knock and Dr. Regal seemed to snap out of his bad mood.

"The morning tea, Regal – sama…" A henchman came in.

"Good. Find me one of those two. I need to talk with them ASAP and in person." Dr. Regal commanded.

"Roger."

"Kanou Shade… Secret Empire… The whole of Japan's underground…! These grunts were hired by them…! And they have a source close to _that person_…! Che! The guy mustn't want this research to be completed then… Because if I did then I'd get on his way! Too bad. But nothing and no-one will halt me! Not even those Official dogs and their "Team"… Cosmo Man's strategy will be a success!" He muttered as he sipped his tea and grumbled under his breath.

"You called, Dr. Regal?" "Demon Prince" asked as he came in.

"Prince. Good. Listen. I need a favor out of you… There seems to be a party apart from the Officials which could be a real and formidable opponent… I need information on them… The "Secret Empire" and "Kanou Shade"…"

"If it's about the "Secret Empire" then I'd heard some stuff about it already and I can assure you that it is something very real indeed and they could be an eyesore to all of us." "Demon Prince" replied.

"Hell. The last thing we needed. We must be ready if they try to hit us from the inside…!"

"Leave it up to me…"

09:47 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Enzan – sama, sir. The area to be "released" today is behind this door, sir…"

"Hum. Can't you try opening that Cyber Door?"

Blues had come to End Area 4 and was checking on the status of the area until he found a large door blocking his way.

"No good, sir… This Cyber Lock has a complexity which I have never seen before, sir…" Blues admitted.

"That door is beyond your capabilities. Blues. Here starts my work so make a favor and wait there." Search Man's voice rang out as he came in and walked over to the door.

"Hmpf. I see. With your calculating abilities then you can analyze and crack this Cyber Lock… Go ahead then. But we should wait for the other members first." Blues told him.

"That's unrelated to me. I've joined the "Team" but we have our own objectives…" Search Man countered without bothering to look at Blues.

"It's good to have momentum but we'd rather appreciate if you didn't act arbitrarily…" Colonel scolded as he rushed in along with the rest of the "Team".

"You came." Blues merely told them.

"How is it? Can you open it?" Colonel asked.

"I'll need a little while but there's no problem." He admitted.

"I see. Well then, start."

"Wait, Search Man." Laika contacted him.

"Laika – sama."

"I've received a call from Sharo. They've picked the trail of THE suspect and, apparently, from a Navi as well… Head to the scene right now." Laika commanded to him.

"Roger and acknowledged."

"Search Man. What's going on?"

"We've found a Nebula Navi who has fled Sharo. And we must catch them now. My bad, but please wait a while for me to open the door."

"Can't be helped… We won't be able to carry out the mission or do anything until this door is opened… However, I'll make clear once and for all what I think of these things… If the same thing happens again then you'll be quitting the "Team"! Get it?" Colonel warned him.

"Yeah. I am returning, Laika – sama."

"Today's mission is postponed until the afternoon! We'll summon you again on the afternoon. That's all: disband!" Colonel exclaimed.

Both he and Search Man left while Blues sighed and the other members began to mutter.

"He surely is troubled with some unavoidable situation. Let's rest for today's morning and be fresh for the afternoon!" Knight Man suggested.

"Hmpf!" Shadow Man wasn't amused.

"I can't do gun-firing today? Can't be helped! I'll go do some "Virus Busting"!" Napalm Man growled.

"What should we do, Enzan – sama?" Blues asked.

"Now that you mention it… I just remembered something."

"Is that so?"

"Regarding Hikari – hakase's laboratory… According to Ayanokouji and Hikari's companions, one week ago, on that day… Hikari – hakase wanted to "show something" to them… And that could be that "something" which Regal is looking for according to Dark Miyabi. It's time for some field exploration." Enzan brought up his thoughts.

"Truly, sir. I had not thought of something so elementary before: I am to shame, sir. Count on me for any searches, sir… Please Plug – Out, sir."

09:55 AM (Japan Time)…

"… I hope I can get his computer to work…"

"If not we could try to ask Hikari – hakase's assistant and see if he can find another way besides the Official ID… By the way, sir…"

Enzan was waiting for the elevator in the Science Labs' lobby and looked slightly worried, for once, before Blues pointed something out and he looked up.

"What's up?"

"Isn't that that Laika man?"

"Laika, you say? I thought he was on a mission or something."

Enzan glanced at the vending machine and rest area where Laika was standing at and looking at Meijin fighting with the vending machine yet again.

"You bloody piece of hardware and software… You bloody mix of alloys and plastics… You bloody coin-swallowing-machine… You bloody berserk crazy machine…! Gimme my _cappuccino_ already~!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Evil, blessed and malicious shoes are on their way there! Feathered shoes! Toothed shoes! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"HUH? What in the… WHY, YOU~! FOOT MAN! DO SOMETHING!"

"My goal will ball!

"Nya~h! Oi! You! Can't you do something about it?"

Laika didn't reply and ran out all of a sudden while Meijin growled in frustration and began to bang the machine again.

"Hum. He looks busy. Bah. Nothing to mind about… Let's go start our search! And let's fix that too when we come out…"

"Command a command! Bow before the United States of Mexico Prime Minister - Roberto Pato! Mwah, hah, hah! Struggle in vain you _Yankee_ guys! I am an - UNBEATABLE GENIUS!" The machine yelled.

The elevator pinged and Enzan got in to climb to the upper floors and stepped out into the laboratory: he looked around and then headed over for the computer.

"Huh? Weird. The power is on and it accepted the Official ID yet it won't start up." Enzan muttered as he typed into it.

"The security is higher than expected, sir." Blues admitted.

"We gotta decode that then!"

"I shall check the data inside."

"I'm no computer crack and I don't intend to forcibly break through this security either. What should I do?" Enzan sighed.

"We would need the help of someone skilled at data analysis, Enzan – sama, sir, if we hope to proceed."

"… And we know the guy too. And something tells me they're close by too…" Enzan smiled.

He came down with the elevator and then headed over for the vending machine.

"Oh! Ijuuin – kun! At last! A savior!"

"Leave it to me. Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

"Ops."

Blues came inside of the vending machine only to be met with "Demon King" who was sitting in a director's chair and had a control holographic panel in front of him which he was using to make those rhymes ring out in the real world.

"You lowlife… "Demon King"! Where is Rock Man at?"

"At this time? On the training grounds." He giggled.

"Training grounds for _what_?"

"For your imagination, Lestrade." "Demon King" giggled next.

"Don't meddle with me!" Blues scowled.

"Go meddle with Colonel Sebastian Moran then."

"Shut up! Tell me!"

"Tell me and I will grant you one of the Seven… Even though Ice Man should be the one to wear it since he's a dwarf guy to begin with. Heh, heh, heh, heh…" "Demon King" joked.

"Fix the machine!" Blues ordered.

"Not yet. I wanna see Meijin – sama sweat and plead."

"You lowlife! Face me!" Blues challenged by stepping forward.

"You haven't taken off the safety." He suddenly warned.

"The safety…? In my sword…? Ah! Che! They fled! So fast…! Didn't see them moving at all…!" Blues gasped after he fell for the trick.

"O~h! My _cappuccino_~! Saved!" Meijin exclaimed.

"My pot will rot!" Foot Man laughed.

"Oh shut up." Meijin cursed.

"My save will halve!"

"SHUT UP! I need silence to properly taste this _cappuccino_!" Meijin commanded.

"Come back, Blues. There's no point in lingering there anymore and we need to find Laika before he goes to who knows where."

"Roger, sir."

Blues came out and Enzan headed down the stairs yet the very air inside of the Cyber World seemed to agitate and flutter only to give way to a curtain which was pulled to the left to reveal how "Demon King" and his stuff were still there.

"Heh, heh, heh. An invisible cubicle! Close the curtain and hop! You've vanished! Heh, heh, heh. Too bad, Ijuuin…"

10:03 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Ijuuin Enzan. What do you want?"

"Laika. I need a favor outta you. It's important. Data analysis: isn't that your forte?"

Enzan found Laika standing not too far from the entrance to the harbor and he looked bored.

_He's gotta be waiting for Search Man to catch up with the culprit or he has to wait for the culprit to come closer… Doesn't his dialect sound weird…? _

"Right in the mark! There's no data which Search Man is uncapable of analyzing!" He proudly announced.

"Well then. Can you have him analyze this data and tell me something I can understand outta it? It could be a critical lead in our investigations. By the way, don't you feel like there's tension in the air today?"

"Hmpf… So even the mighty Ijuuin Enzan needs help. Amusing. T-there's no such thing… I'm from Sharo. I always give out this vibe, man."

"Well then. I'll be waiting. Come anytime. But even though we firstly meet something about gives a vibe." Enzan admitted.

"Fine. I'll lend you power. Go on ahead to the laboratory! I'll come later. I've got something to settle before going there!"

"Hmpf. Whatever. Paranoia, then." Enzan shrugged.

"Guess so."

"I'm going. Later."

Enzan headed backwards and came back in to see Meijin sitting in a chair and reading the daily newspapers while taking sips of his _cappuccino_: he ignored him and called for the elevator to bring him into Yuuichirou's lab where he sat down on one of the sofas for the visits: yet the elevator soon pinged and Laika came in.

_There he is!_

"You came. Oi. Laika. This is it. This is the computer I need you to work into." Enzan signaled.

"Let me firstly check one thing... This is Hikari Yuuichirou – hakase's laboratory. In short: it's a "Top-Secret" room even in Japan. Won't there be some trouble by letting a foreign serviceman like me in?"

"You got a point. But you're military: you're prone to keep information secret anyway. And this could be extremely crucial for our ongoing investigations. So go ahead, "teammate"." Enzan calmly replied.

"…"Teammate", huh… Heh, heh, heh… Gotcha. Well then, I'll disable the security. Search Man! Release the security!" Laika shrugged.

"Roger. Starting data analysis… Analysis completed. Moving into security disabling operation… _Completed_!" Search Man quickly analyzed.

"Hmpf. You're fast… Good."

"There is but one text data..." Search Man reported his findings.

"Read it."

_Yeah. I'm picked too: will you find out what the Doc wants like this? Give it a shot, Ijuuin!_

"…"To my son Yuuichirou… I ask of you not to neglect tasking care of Gau. I always say it, but Gau mustn't get wet. Given how he gets mad at those times, let Gau inside of house when it begins to rain." … That's what's written." He read yet he seemed to make a large pause after finishing the letter and announcing that he'd reached the end of it.

"A letter left behind by Hikari Tadashi – hakase to his son…? Yet who is that "Gau" who is mentioned there…?" Enzan wondered.

"I am afraid I do not know, sir… Yet that letter seems weird, sir."

"True. Let's check it out. Even though we released the security the only thing to be found was this letter and there are no leads regarding Nebula's goals… My bad. I stole important time off you." Enzan sighed.

_Too bad, Ijuuin. Best luck next time! Heh, heh, heh! Call on Luck Man!_

"What… You've let me have a nice experience anyway! I've been able to snoop into the computer of one of the world's top class scientists!"

"By the way… Didn't you have a mission to take care of?" Enzan frowned.

"… Huh… Y-yeah… That's true, yeah… Well then, I'll be excusing myself by now… Later!"

"Let's bring the letter data along just in case… Copy complete. Yet I find it odd he'd gather Hikari's _companions_ when the letter _only involves Hikari Tadashi – hakase and Hikari Yuuichirou – hakase_…!"

_Heh, heh, heh. Call Investigation Man._

"And since this involves the Hikari family then I should go check on them… Huh? Ah! There's some kind of cipher below the text… I see: place all characters, spaces included, in each slot… And then single out the characters which fit in these black boxes… "Ura no inugoya"… "Reverse dog-house"… Guess it's at Hikari's place…"

_Go ahead and try to find "intriguing" stuff in Hikari's bedroom… Maybe if you check a "certain place"… Heh, heh, heh…_

"Emergency! Emergency!" A voice rang out through the speakers.

"Another Nebula attack?" Enzan gasped.

"Meijin - sama! Report to the Control System Room ASAP! Repeat!"

Enzan ran into the elevator and made it go down into the ground floor before he ran down the flight of stairs and rushed into the Control System Room where Meijin was having a discussion with the staff.

"…get them yourselves! You lazy staff!" He yelled at them.

"What's going on? Where's the enemy?" Barrel ran in too.

"What? Oh no. We've just happened to run out of donuts and we wanted Meijin to bring some more." One staff man laughed.

Both Barrel and Enzan groaned in annoyance and Meijin fumed: they obviously didn't think this was worth being called an "emergency"…

10:37 AM (Japan Time)…

"... Good morning. I apologize for my intrusion, yet… You're Sakurai, right?"

"Yeah. I'm keeping ma'am some company because she is so alone and depressed…"

Enzan rang the bell of the Hikari house and Meiru opened the door: she looked sad and defeated and Enzan inwardly gulped.

_I've been so neglecting really… How can I expect Hikari – san to bear with the absence of not only her husband but her son as well? No wonder they have to try to help her out… She must be totally depressed… _

Enzan came inside and changed into slippers before Meiru brought him to the living room sofa where Haruka was sitting and distractedly trying to knit a piece of cloth.

"Welcome, Enzan – kun… Can I help you?"

"I think so… Let me check one thing please."

"Go ahead…"

Enzan looked out through the living room sliding window-paneled doors and into the rear of the house to spot a dog-house there.

"Hmmm? This dog-house…? Something's written on it! "Gau… something in the middle of the ground's corner on… Island's coal min…, within… which turns the air pretty." … Hmmm… They look pretty old so they've largely faded away by now… Yet "Gau" shows up here… So there's a lead…? But "island" must be "Oran Island" and the references to "air" must be the air ventilating device there… Let's go check it out… I apologize but I must go out right now… I'll be back… And I promise to find them no matter what: you may count on me, ma'am…"

"I know that, Enzan – kun… You're good friends with Netto… And I know you're doing your best…" Haruka weakly smiled.

"Thank you very much for you trust in me, ma'am… Excuse me…"

12:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Here it is. The old air control device of the coal mine… There must be a clue here! Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

"A Program… I'll try talking to them."

"IF I CLOSE MY EYES I REMEMBER… TIME AGO I SAW A DOG-SHAPED PROGRAM BURY SOMETHING IN A CORNER FLOOR PANEL UP AHEAD… WONDER WHAT IS WAS?"

Blues had come inside of the device and he talked with one Program – kun: he seemed to be interested by the info so he checked the NE corner and found something.

"Enzan – sama. This panel seems to have been turned over once from the looks of it, sir…"

"Good finding! Check it out!"

"Roger. Something is shining. Some kind of memory data… It'd need to be analyzed… Allow me, sir… "Gau loves fishes… Specially a big fish sans eyes…" … This is all, sir…" Blues reported.

"Big fish… Hmmm… Hot, hot. Ah. "Shachihoko"!" Enzan realized.

"True, sir. It'd make sense, sir!"

"And speaking of "Shachihoko"…"

"End City's Shachihoko Castle, sir!"

"Good! Get that data and let's Plug – Out. We go to End City!"

"Roger, sir!"

_End City, eh? So you'll meet "The End" there? Beware of his M1891/30 Mosin - Nagant sniper rifle! Heh, heh, heh! And of his camouflage skills plus his parrot scout…! Heh, heh, heh! Let's rumble a bubble! Bubble a rumble! Beat a cat! Lynch a pinch! Heh, heh, heh… Go ahead and meet your silly and non-glorious "end"… At "End City" where the apocalypse will begin at…! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!_

14:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Well. Not bad. That _takoyaki_ stand was good enough. This city really has an air of old and traditional to it and… Hey. That's Laika over there, ain't it? Oi, Laika. I owe you one."

"I'm in the midst of a mission… I'm in the midst of a mission… Please don't greet me in such a friendly manner. And you don't owe me anything either."

Enzan was pacing along the perimeter of the "Shachihoko Castle" in End City and met with Laika close to the entrance.

"… I must return the favor one day. And that applies to Search Man as well."

"I don't know what you're talking about. But don't get in the way of my mission… "

"He must have his head stuffed with the mission. Whatever. Let's go search. Bring up all info on End City, Blues."

Enzan headed for a counter desk which seemed to be the point where one bought the entrances to visit the castle and the man in charge of it looked up.

"Sorry. But today you can't enter the castle."

"May I know why?"

"Truth is… It looks like the control system of the castle has been illegally accessed by someone…" The man admitted.

"Illegal access…" Enzan muttered.

"The communications system in End Area 3 must be suffering some sort of hacking so… And it could be Nebula's handiwork… Despite having such good security on it…" The man detailed.

"Nebula. I need to check that." Enzan settled.

"Huh? You will?"

"ONBA Ace Net Battler Ijuuin Enzan: will this suffice?"

"O~h!" The man gasped.

"I'll fix that. And in exchange you'll let me inside. I'm in the middle of an investigation." Enzan told the man.

"… Then use that bronze statue to Plug – In into the Internet and you'll reach End Area 2. Please go ahead." The man signaled one which was close by.

"Good. And don't tell anyone else I was here."

"Alright."

Enzan walked down the stairs into a little square and headed for the statue which had a surveillance camera built into its pedestal.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues came into the End Area 3 and made his way through the ramps and roads until he spotted a miniature replica of the castle in a sector of the Network.

"Target spotted… Someone is there…! Search Man!"

Search Man was standing in front of the device and doing something: he glanced at Blues and said nothing before he suddenly came out of the area as Blues rushed down there.

"Search Man! What's going on?" He wondered.

"We can solve that later. Check the system for the time being." Enzan commanded.

"Roger. Odd. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the system as far as I can see, sir…" Blues reported back as he checked it.

"… Then maybe the guy was fixing it after all... Guess he doesn't like staying to chat. Let him be: he's too smug-faced. Let's go tell that to the castle managers."

"Roger, sir."

"Plug Out."

Enzan retrieved Blues and rushed up the stairs to the counter where the man was ending a call.

"Thank you for your help. The communications system is back to normal…" He reported.

"So it got fixed while we were on our way there…" Enzan muttered with a hint of surprise.

He failed to see the man from the other day, Kanou Shade, standing in the corner while apparently studying a guide about End City.

_First nice and then dry again… That Mr. Laika's behavior looked a bit eerie, even…_ _Well. Dr. Regal now has something to keep him worried and I mostly said the truth because I'm not a position to do much yet. But I'll soon be able to consolidate it… _

"Huh? Is that so? But, well, given how the system is working fine then go ahead and check the insides."

"Good. Let's go."

"If anyone else wants to come in then go ahead!"

Kanou Shade smiled and followed Enzan inside: the first room had _samurai_ armor and helmet models set on it while the second room had _katana_ models: a hologram of a warrior clad in _Sengoku_ era armor, helmet and _katana_ was standing in front of the entrance of the stairs.

_Interesting. They're the real stuff alright._

He followed Enzan into the next floor which had a crossroad next to another warrior statue and a Buddhist statuette which looked like it'd been sculptured using jade: Enzan then came out into the roof and climbed it up to check one of the two golden "Shachihoko" sculptures set there.

"Big fish… No eyes… Could they mean to take the eye out?"

He managed to do so and retrieved something hidden there.

"Hmmm… Looks like a data disk… Let's check it out."

"Looks like a key, sir." Blues ventured.

"Key…? Where do I use that?"

"There is some adjacent text data, sir. Hmmm… "The 3rd Akihara, within the 4th plaza… Stare at the entrance to Oran then open the centermost one…"… So it says." Blues read.

"We should single out keywords and try to figure something out with this… Let's copy it out as well." Enzan decided.

"We should try to go to the described place firstly, sir." Blues suggested a starting step.

"Obviously."

Enzan headed back while Kanou Shade hid besides a _souvenir_ vending machine while looking intrigued.

_So! Let me get this straight: Mr. Ijuuin is trying to crack a "treasure hunt" game which Hikari Tadashi – hakase set up long ago and it could be a clue to the location of that "Report" Dr. Regal is looking for…_

He looked out at the castle ground to see Enzan coming out and heading towards the Metro Station: Kanou Shade took out a Sub PET and began to input commands into it.

_Let's use that simplistic Navi which I turned into a walking camera and microphone… It's good to check on what happens in the Cyber World. And I know where I have to go obviously enough. That riddle seems easy yet I wonder what that key is going to be used for…_

"… Mark a bark! Punch the hunch!" A passer-by sang close by.

_Heh. Amusing rhymes._

"… Blow the how! Corner the coroner!"

_Corner the coroner? Why not. Heh, heh, heh. _

"… Smash the bash!"

14:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Are you looking for something?"

"Yeah. Can you give me a hand?"

"Hum, hum… I see. That's what the code says… The "3rd Akihara" means Akihara Area 3, here… And, coming from Akihara Area 2, this is the 4th square. So the place marked by the code has to be here, right? You can see the entrance to Oran Island Area close by too… It'd be good if you can find what you're looking for."

Blues was talking with a Navi standing on the Akihara Area 3 square pointed by the riddle and trying to check if his solution made sense: he then checked the spot indicated by the riddle.

"… "…The 3rd Akihara, within the 4th plaza… Stare at the entrance to Oran then open that centermost one…" … The 3rd Akihara Area… The 4th square counting from the entrance… I can see Oran's entrance… Open the centermost one… It HAS to be this place, sir." He reported.

"Then let's try out the key we got." Enzan suggested.

"Roger."

A normal wooden door colored blue and with a metallic golden doorknob formed in front of Blues who gasped.

"Wha! Enzan – sama, sir…!" He gasped.

"This is…! The "Old Key Data" has resonated and made this door appear…? Could it be…?" Enzan looked surprised too.

"We might as well check it out, sir… The key has opened, sir! It'd seem we can come in, sir!" Blues reported after checking the lock but not stopping to sound surprised.

"It's not wise to come in all of a sudden yet we can't turn back at this point." Enzan muttered.

"I am ready, sir. Let us hope it isn't dangerous, sir. When you feel like it then I'll go inside, sir." Blues announced.

"Good. I'm always ready you know. But let's check everything again just in case." Enzan decided.

"Affirmative."

Enzan checked his Folder and swapped one or two Chips before going over it again and nodding in approval: Blues got the message so he opened the door and stumbled upon a totally unlit room.

"What could this space be…? Huh? An exit…!" He muttered.

He stepped out from the Hikari house's front door into the street: the very space seemed to have some colors to indicate oldness to it and the air had a cybernetic matrix undulating on it as if to remind one that his was inside of the Cyber World: Blues gasped.

"Huh? Where is this at…?" He wondered.

"Blues! Behind you…!" Enzan warned.

"Behind, sir…? R-Rock Man's house!" Blues wondered before turning around and recognizing it.

"Then you've appeared in the real world or what?" Enzan frowned and didn't seem to know what was going on.

"Could be yet… Yet even if this Akihara Town the atmosphere feels different, sir…" Blues muttered.

"Ah. Then _it looks_ like the real world." Enzan concluded.

"From what can be seen it is an area into which Akihara Town's shape was digitized…" Blues offered.

"Maybe this is what Hikari – hakase wanted to show them?" Enzan wondered all of a sudden.

"It is possible, sir. Huh? Someone is coming, sir!"

Blues saw a woman on her 20s or 30s walking up the street while humming: her hair was brown and the eyes irises green: she wore a pinkish coat, green knee-long skirt and shoes while: she didn't spot Blues.

"Eh… Do excuse me! There is something I'd like to ask…"

"They say two twin boys have been born at Hikari – san's house. If I recall well their names are Saito – kun and Netto – kun. Truly cute~! How fortunate~!" She suddenly told Blues.

"Huh?" Blues was left baffled.

"T-that woman… "Saito and Netto"…! Then this place is Akihara Town in the year Hikari was born in?" Enzan gasped.

"… It makes sense, sir."

"Yet this doesn't strike as the kind of thing Regal would bother to go after no matter from where you look at it!" Enzan felt a headache by now.

"Maybe we should investigate a bit more, sir."

"Good point. Check it out. Go ahead, Blues."

Blues nodded and checked that the Sakurai house hadn't changed yet when he headed north the grounds where the Ayanokouji mansion existed in the present had just been bought but construction hadn't begun yet: one man was looking at the fence and muttering.

"Some corporation's president house is being built here. Guess they'll be building a big house… I'm envious!" He muttered.

Blues did not comment to it: the Ooyama house was on the same spot yet the park was very different: it still couldn't be called park more like a patch of ground which had three concrete pipes there plus a metallic bar set on two supports: the actual Higureya was a closed store with obvious signs of decadency and three "Ojiouzan" statues had been erected in the street opposite the patch of ground: some citizens had gathered there and Blues listened into their conversations.

"Next month I'll go along Sakurai – san to Ameroupe for business… Yet it'd seem Sakurai – san's child is scheduled to be born next month. It'll be hard." A blonde man muttered.

"Hum… So Sakurai is a month younger than Hikari…" Enzan guessed.

"… I hope they accept the Mr. Squirrel drawing I made!" A little girl giggled.

"So that's why it's a squirrel: she designed it." He concluded.

They'll soon build a nice park here. It'd seem they're looking for a design of the park's symbol. The adopted design will be turned into a bronze statue." A woman commented.

Blues then checked the yard behind the Hikari house and found a small dog with brownish fur and stains walking around there.

"Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau!"

"Wait. Could this dog be…?" Blues muttered.

"The so-famous "Gau"…? Then it lived on the dog-house in the reverse of the house… Pretty bad-looking dog though…" Enzan muttered.

"Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau!"

"You're not gonna tell me it heard me." Enzan sounded skeptical.

"I have listened to everyone yet the only thing we found is that Rock Man's house used to own a dog." Blues sighed.

"Well. We've also seen the transformation Akihara Town has undergone in about 11 years. Guess this was made by someone nostalgic." Enzan sounded defeated.

"Could be. Should we head back, sir?"

"Head for Hikari's house." Enzan commanded.

"Roger."

Blues headed towards there but suddenly stopped and hid close to the corner of the block with the Sakurai house.

"Ah! Someone is coming in from the outer Internet, sir!" He suddenly reported while drawing his Long Sword.

"What!"

Five Nebula grunts plus one black-colored grunt which looked like their commander came in.

"I wouldn't have though that such a place was hidden in the Internet… Good! You guys make sure to thoroughly investigate this area! I don't care if ya have to smash all the stuff around this area! What Regal – sama is looking for could be hidden in this area for all we know!" The commander told them.

"Aye, aye!"

"I'll be standing guard here to wait for the Boss. If ya find anything tell me ASAP! Alright! Move it!" He commanded.

"Enzan – sama. Orders? They could destroy this area, sir."

"I never will let them get away with it. I don't want Regal to end up winning! Defend the area, Blues!" Enzan ordered.

Blues nodded and quickly picked one of the Navis from behind who turned around.

"If ain't Blues… You go and come out of there unconcernedly… Today I get ya!" He exclaimed.

"Slow."

Blues sliced his waist in half and deleted him before heading over for another one.

"…Blues! Geh, heh, heh, heh… This eliminates the need to search anymore! Ki~sha~!" He improvised some kind of war cry.

"Too slow."

Blues sliced him as well before heading over to the third one who was mumbling something under his breath.

"Y-you're…! H-hih…! At least my life…! Gotcha! Chance!" He tried to play the pleading guy but then jumped towards Blues.

"Wrong. Take this."

Blues drove his blade through the chest and deleted him yet he was already catching up to the fourth one.

"… You're Blues…! If I beat ya I'll be immediately ascended! This feat's mine! Ora~!" He roared.

"Out of the way."

Blues quickly beat him and found the fifth of the grunts which seemed to frown.

"… Who the heck are ya…? Ah! Ya are Blues! The bloody enemy of Nebula! Take this!" He growled.

"Useless."

Blues deleted him and then faced their commander.

"A~h! You lowlife…! If I defeat you lowlife then Regal – sama will praise me! Ora~h!" He exclaimed.

"Delta Ray Edge!"

"Phew. All Nebula invaders have been deleted… Good work."

"Let us head back already, sir."

"I find it somewhat curious that Hikari's house of all ones serves as entrance to this area… Odd, even." Enzan muttered.

"… It surprised me as well, sir, yet… Hum...! Someone is beyond the door…!" Blues gasped.

"Nebula again?"

"It could be the boss of that rubbish. Coming…!"

Search Man came in and made no comment: Blues gasped and drew his Long Sword again.

"Search Man?"

"…I wouldn't have thought there was such a concealed area like this one… I met the mark when I decided to follow you." He muttered.

"Following me? And when did your dialect switch, anyway?"

"By Regal – sama's orders I've been monitoring you guys' movements… And thus I've been able to find this hidden area. " He announced.

"R-Regal's…!"

"Correct! Laika – sama and I are Nebula agents!"

"So you lowlifes are his lapdogs!" Blues growled.

"Heh, heh, heh… Besides, fooling a stubborn guy like you was no big deal…"

"I don't need to hear your speeches anymore."

"Power… "Dark Chips" granted me further power… The "Dark Chips" are good stuff… They filled me with power…" He exclaimed.

"So you lowlife turned addict and wanted more." Blues scoffed and was unimpressed.

"Well, don't get so bloodthirsty… I've got no intention to quarrel with you right now… Since I'm still in the midst of my mission… And, besides, I'll end up fighting you sooner or later…" He muttered.

He made a smug smile and ran out the way he came in to Blues frustration given how he growled aloud.

"W-wait! Hmpf. So Regal can now even buy a commander of a Sharo Army Unit… Money, huh. Yet the mention of "mission" by that lowlife reeks. Let's report to Mr. Barrel, sir!" He cursed.

"Yeah. Let's go!"

_Oho. So this is how it is, eh? Amusing, truly amusing. And while Ijuuin goes to report like the cadet he is then I'll be snooping around and later bring _aibou_ along… He'll be thrilled… Let's take some photos and show the twins: it'll surprise them how their city has changed in 11 years' time and the looks it had before… Heh, heh, heh. And maybe we can find a way to shake off those "Secret Empire" guys so that the Doc can work with less pressure on him… Heh, heh, heh._

15:04 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I've cornered you. You've been running away quite a lot but all of that ends today too."

"C-crap!"

Search Man had cornered a Nebula grunt in the Science Labs Area and was about to delete him.

"Get ready." He drily announced.

Blues suddenly came in and looked at the scene: Search Man merely glanced at him for a moment but kept on aiming his Scope Gun at the Nebula Navi.

"Blues? Step asides!" He scowled.

Blues merely grinned and attacked Search Man before shielding the Nebula grunt.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…" Blues chuckled.

Both of them escaped at the same time and Search Man growled in clear anger.

"Wait!" Search Man called out.

"Blues…!" Laika hissed.

_Heh, heh, heh. All's going according to the _scenario… _You guys are our pawns in the chess board! Go and cause more fighting… Let the yells of war ring out again, start a new campaign! Huh?_

"Demon King" had been giggling when a shot suddenly hit his right side of the torso and knocked him into the ground: Search Man aimed at him but he merely drew a gun and bathed him in multiple rounds of energy rounds before he escaped the area.

"Who the hell was that? What attack power…!" Search Man growled.

"Yet that wasn't that grunt's Boss either… Is there more to these lowlifes than what it looks on the first glance?" Laika wondered.

15:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Enzan – sama, sir. The mail, sir."

Enzan had come out of the Science Labs and been distractedly walking down the stairs when Blues called for his attention.

"I know…" He muttered as he picked it up.

"Mail news, sir. I shall read them. "Currently… Communications across the Internet are disturbed… It'd seem there's an anomaly in the End Area 3 communications system. Since there is the probability that a Navi which performs Plug-In may experience adverse effects… Then please do not Plug-In even in "Released" Areas…" What…? Nebula's handiworks again…?" Blues read before gasping in surprise and trying to make a guess.

"Obviously… Being End Area 3…"

"I shall go investigate, sir!"

"Then let's access the main Internet from the Science Labs HP and head for End Area…!" Enzan decided.

He ran back inside and used the HP access from the command room to send Blues into the network: he quickly made his way across the areas until he reached End Area 3 and tried to talk to a Navi: his talk was broken and he couldn't make sense of any of what he muttered.

"Communications really don't work! What chaos!" He cursed.

He jumped down from the main road and checked the communications device.

"The communications system… It doesn't look well so we should try to fix it somehow." Blues reported.

"Go for it."

"No good, sir… It's locked to refuse any inputs!" Blues exclaimed.

"Cha! What are you doing over there?" A Navi came in and ran over to him while sounding suspicious of him.

"I am trying to fix the communications system." Blues dully replied to him before trying it again.

"If it's that then messing with that won't do. The large-scale server in Shachihoko Castle's Shacihoko Cybernetics must be fixed firstly: that's a mere antenna." The Navi explained.

"Could've told me earlier… I am in an ONBA mission. I'll head over there to check it out." Blues fumed.

"Ah. But even if you're part of the ONBA… I'd rather not go to the Shachihoko Castle by now. Given how it's suffered several attacks by Nebula's Navis then it seemingly is on a dangerous situation." The Navi warned him.

"That traitor must be there, then…" Blues deduced as he formed a scowl and looked at his Long Sword.

_Oh yeah. So true, _Meitantei _Blues. Go ahead and dance the dance of the dancing men! Can you crack their code? Heh, heh, heh. _

"Well. You decide if you go or not but you gotta be really careful, see." The Navi insisted.

_Of my rhymes and pranks and trolls, that is._

"Enzan – sama, sir! Please head for Shachihoko Castle!" Blues called out to Enzan.

"Alright!"

_While you were making your way there, Blues, Ijuuin has already reached End City so he's gonna make you come out through the general statue's surveillance camera and then head into the castle yet I already arranged for something to make him sweat for a while… _

"… Good. I've reached End City… Climbing down from the metro and heading for the exit… The general statue! Head there so that I can retrieve you!" Enzan commanded.

_As they say… _No pain, no gain_…! Heh, heh, heh! _

16:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"…This hologram wasn't like this before. How odd."

"Perhaps the blocked door is connected somehow, sir?"

Enzan was looking at the warrior hologram which was missing the armor, helmet and _katana_ while the door behind him was locked.

"How bothersome." He groaned.

He headed for one of the _katana_ exhibits and sent Blues inside of it to talk with a Navi.

"I am the Navi guarding the _katana_ data."

"Hand over the _katana_ data." Blues commanded.

"What in the…! Hand over the _katana_ data, you say? Alright! Try to take it by true strength! Kie~!" He made a _samurai _cry of war as he released Viruses to face Blues.

"A test. Fine. Hrah! Hah! Hyah! Is that all?"

"Hum…! If it's you, then… Handing this over will be fine… Devote yourself!" The Navi settled as he handed him the "_Katana_ data" and made a weak giggle.

"Next is the helmet!"

Enzan ran into the first room and allowed Blues to come inside of the helmet exhibit where he found another Navi.

"I am the Navi guarding the helmet data."

"Hand over the helmet data."

"Hum… So you came to claim the helmet data… Alright! If you can defeat the Viruses I will release then I will hand it over! Sorya~h! The campaign's already begun!" The Navi came up with a _Sengoku_ motto as he released more Viruses.

"Hmpf. There! Here! Eat that! Take this! Done."

"Splendid strength! I want you to accept this! Don't forget your natural self!" The Navi exclaimed.

"Two of three… Last one is the armor!"

Enzan quickly sent Blues into the third exhibit and he walked over the Navi obviously expecting what was going to happen next.

"I am the Navi guarding the armor data." He announced.

"Hand over the armor data." Blues commanded for the third time.

"What in the…! Hand over the armor data, you say? Alright! However… The armor data is something intended for a samurai… If thou are a samurai then I'll hand the armor data over! Try to win the campaign I've staged! Seiya~!" The Navi used _Sengoku_ speech as well.

"Slow and weak. One, two, three. There, done."

"Splendid strength! I'll hand this over to you. Do not neglect your training…!" The Navi told him.

"I don't. You do." Blues shot back.

Enzan ran back towards the hologram and used a menu to install the missing parts into the _samurai_.

"Carry out the campaign preparations…"

"This thing means these." He muttered.

He finished installing and waited for something to happen.

"So?" He challenged.

"Departure for the front! Open the doorway~!" The hologram exclaimed.

The door opened and Enzan quickly ran upstairs.

"About bloody time." He grumbled.

_About folkloric time. Heh, heh, heh, heh. About blue blistering barnacles time! About catastrophic time! About shrieking time! About plummeting time! About terminal time! About laced time! Mwah, hah, hah!_

"…Ah! I can't handle it!"

The staff man ran down from the rooftop and spotted Enzan: he was visibly agitated.

"Why are you here? The server inside of the "Shachihoko" statue's "Cybernetics" is going berserk! It'll end up exploding along with the castle! Hurry and run as well!" He told him in a rush before he fled the rooftop.

"By all the… Nebula is really desperate to get rid of this place or what? Let's stop the rampage!" Enzan exclaimed.

_Come inside of the _ninja _domain… I rather think Shadow Man would've fitted better here…_

"… We're short in time so go ahead full speed! And don't care about secondary damage either! You have to stop the server no matter what it takes!" Enzan commanded.

"Roger."

Blues made his way through the Cyber World decorated like a _Sengoku_ castle and filled with deactivated traps which included wall spears, ceiling drops and water pits: some _ninja_ – shaped Program – kuns colored either red, white and blue could be seen around the area playing around so Blues ignored them.

"Maybe Shadow Man uses this place as a hideout from time to time even given the decoration…" He muttered.

"… Blues. Be careful of wandering _shuriken_." Enzan suddenly commanded in a hushed tone of voice.

"… Acknowledged." Blues confirmed.

"Can you see the server?" Enzan asked of him.

"Another little bit, sir… I am almost there, sir!" Blues replied as he looked on forward.

"Good! We gotta cut it on time."

"I have found the server, sir."

Indeed: the server was surrounded by a golden piece of sculpture which looked like a relief and was making some weird noises.

"Repair it ASAP!" Enzan ordered.

"That's as far as you come!" Search Man's voice rang out.

Search Man appeared and aimed his Scope Gun at Blues who in turn drew his Long Sword.

"Search Man! You traitor! This was you lowlife's work then!" Blues growled in anger.

"That's my motto! I wouldn't have thought you lowlife would steep so low and join forces with Nebula!" Search Man shot back.

"I dunno what you lowlifes mean. Get lost." Enzan dully told them without beating an eyebrow.

"No more questions! Do it, Search Man!" Laika commanded.

"Target: Blues! Lock on!" Search Man announced.

"Coming, Enzan – sama!" Blues warned.

"Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Get ready, Blues!" Search Man yelled.

"Area Steal! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Program Advance! Dream Sword!"

"What! Dream Sword in the 1st Turn!" Laika gasped.

"Satellite Ray! Search Grenades!"

Search Man formed a small laser-equipped man-made satellite which shot a green laser at a patch of the ground together with green-colored round grenades which dropped around the area while Blues' attack made contact and inflicted damage to Search Man.

"Grwah! Why didn't he flinch when attacked…? It couldn't be…! Navi Customizer Program "Super Armor"…?"

"Hmpf. Suikomi! Tornado!"

The blue-colored box appeared on the Field and began to pull Search Man towards it so that Blues unloaded the Tornado into him.

"Scope Gun! Satellite Ray!"

"Whatever you attack me it's pointless." Blues shot back.

He suddenly stepped into one patch of ground having a "Giga Mine" concealed on it and it exploded thus inflicting some major damage to Blues: he growled while Search Man made a smug smile.

"That's not all I can do." He taunted.

"Why, you…! Hra~h! Delta Ray Edge!"

"Ugrah! Hah! N-no… Not yet! Search Grenades! Scope Gun!"

"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Program Advance! Giga Cannon!"

"What! A Program Advance which isn't Sword-elemental… They tricked us there!" Laika muttered.

"GO~!" Enzan yelled.

"… _Kawarimi_!"

"Oh crap!"

"Grah! Shadow Man's favorite trick…!"

"I had to go through that Hell too!" Search Man exclaimed.

"Yet… We have some stuff here which I haven't tested out yet out of pride but now I'll use it!" Enzan exclaimed next.

"What?" Laika frowned.

"Gun del Sol!"

"That's…!"

"_Taiyo~_!" Blues exclaimed.

Enzan attached a "Sun Sensor" to the PET and lifted it up into the sky taking advantage of the sunny day: the Gun del Sol charged up and Blues unloaded its power into Search Man thus bringing him to his knees and Blues collapsed too.

"W-where did you find that?" Laika looked baffled.

"Hikari… He met the user of these Chips and he got a load of them which the guy went on distributing even though I insisted I didn't want any of his stuff out of pride but…" Enzan admitted.

"…Huff, huff… Why did you lowlife join Nebula?" Blues questioned Search Man.

"…Huff, huff… I d-don't get the point of that question. I don't remember joining the likes of Nebula! Well then… Why did you get in the way of my mission back then?" Search Man shot back.

"I don't remember having done that!" Blues argued.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh! Guess that, yeah! We were the ones who did all of those, after all!" A voice rang out.

Both Operators gasped as _another Blues_ and _another Search Man_ came in yet these two had a purplish glow to them.

"… Heh, heh, heh… I wouldn't have thought that you'd fall for our strategy so easily, man." "Fake" Search Man chuckled.

"This battle has weakened you guys' bodies! It'll now be a piece of a cake for us! We've been able to bring a huge souvenir to Regal – sama!" "Fake" Blues exclaimed next.

"Then the Search Man in the old Akihara City was…!" Blues began to catch up with had really happened.

"Mwah, hah, hah! That was me!"

"Well then… The one who got in the way of my mission was…" Search Man was also starting to catch up.

"That was me! Gyah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! I also made this "Shachihoko" server go berserk as well! If you defeat us then you'll be able to stop the rampage… _If _you _can_ defeat us, that is! Gyah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Blues. It looks like I gotta apologize to you." Search Man suddenly admitted.

"I got fooled too. I'm guilty as well." Blues confessed.

"What are ya chatting about? We'll tell ya this: ya won't be able to run from us!" "Fake" Search Man exclaimed.

"Be deleted without protest!" Fake "Blues" added.

"Laika. I owe you an apology yet we've already cleared this misunderstanding. Let's blow them away."

"What a coincidence… I was thinking along the same lines."

"We won't let you get away with it…!" Blues began.

"…no matter what!" Search Man finished.

"What "getting away with"? What diehard guys! Let's delete them in an instant! Let's go, hora~h!" "Fake" Blues roared.

"Delta Ray Edge!"

"Sharo's newest Battle Chip… Meteor 9!" Laika exclaimed.

Both attacks hit the imposters and inflicted heavy damage to them thus making them revert out of their disguises to reveal a purple grunt and a black grunt which began to be deleted.

"Guwo~h!"

"So your fake clothing has peeled off… You're mere fakes, after all. You stand no chance of defeating the real us!" Search Man muttered.

"B-bloody hell! But Cosmo Man – sama guarding End Area 5 will surely… a… ve… nge… us…! W-we… besee… ch… of… thou! Guwa~h!" The black grunt roared.

"Cosmo Man's in End Area 5…!" Search Man gasped.

"Huh? Search Man… Do you know about that "Cosmo Man" guy?"

"Cosmo Man is the Admin of Nebula's Sharo Branch… I joined the "Team" to defeat that guy. I'm going to release the End Area 4 door!"

"Ah. Go ahead, go… Let us go, Enzan – sama, sir!"

"Roger."

"Wait, Search Man." Blues suddenly told him.

"What?" Search Man turned around and frowned.

"There! Hrah!"

"Oof! Not you too!"

"That's…!"

Blues suddenly leapt above the server and sliced the air to break the invisibility effect of "Demon King" and he lost his balance so he fell into the ground where Blues and Search Man aimed their weapons at the guy as he groaned.

"No more running away! Where is Rock Man?" Blues demanded.

"Told ya earlier… Well… By now… Coming back from the field assignment wherever _aibou_ decided to send them to today…" He muttered while groaning from the wound.

"That's not a precise answer." Enzan pressed.

"You wanna know more? Free End Area 5 and I'll give out a hint or two: if you _can_, that is." He giggled.

"We won't fall for that again. Speak!" Laika grumbled.

"Ah! Cosmo Man! Good timing! Pulverize them!" The guy suddenly gasped in relief.

Both gasped and turned around yet there was no one and when they looked back the guy had vanished so they fumed…

17:14 PM (Japan Time)…

"… All members have gathered. How is it, Search Man?"

"Another little bit… Release completed… It's open…"

The "Team" members had gathered in the End Area 4 Door which Search Man finished analyzing and managed to open: Colonel nodded in agreement and addressed the members.

"Let's go! We'll be starting the "Liberate Mission" of End Area 5! Before that… Shadow Man. Remain here. I'd like you to be on the watch-out and warn if enemy reinforcements show up…" He told him.

"If the requester wants me to, then I won't complain. But is there really a need to watch-out?" He asked.

"Hum. From now on it won't do any harm to be over-cautious. Was something to happen then let us know ASAP!" Colonel told him with a nod of the head.

"…Understood… Yet I believe you'll regret not bringing me along…" He shrugged his shoulders.

"You're the speediest member of the team. I'll be counting you." Colonel rallied.

"Heh, heh, heh… I get it, alright… I'll handle the watch-out here while you guys go and battle at your heart's content…" Shadow Man told them with a little chuckle.

"Good! Let's go!" Colonel exclaimed as he took lead and the others followed suit.

"I am ready, Enzan – sama, sir!" Blues announced.

"Go for it!"

The group went in and Shadow Man spotted how the "Demon King" dropped something on the ground which was a rusted _katana_ before fleeing inside: Shadow Man grumbled and seemingly thought of it as an insult to his pride and honor…


	12. Chapter 12: Cosmic Power

**Chapter 12: Cosmic Power**

17:31 PM (Japan Time), Saturday March the 19th…

"…Hum… This area's "Dark Panels"…"

"You noticed? As expected from you, Search Man. According to our research, it'd seem that this area's "Dark Panels" have traps set inside of them. Carefree "Liberation" will be dangerous: that's the point."

Search Man was scanning the area and spotted the unusually high amount of "Item Panels" so he guessed there was a meaning to them which Colonel confirmed.

"This presence…! A clever jerk…" Search Man muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"Heh, heh, heh… I am honored that you praise me, "Team of Colonel" gentlemen." A voice rang out with obvious amusement yet some mockery along the way.

"What the? Who are ya?" Napalm Man called out.

"My name is Cosmo Man. I excellent in the aspect that I can freely control the "Obscure Universe"… Allow me to contemplate if you guys will be able to come all the way here or not."

Cosmo Man appealed as being as tall as Colonel and he had a commanding look to him.

His eyes were simply black and surrounded by skin while his nose and mouth were covered by a thin layer of golden armor.

Four lines converged on his forehead where a small diamond was set: the head's upper portion was exposed and it had the typical black "skin".

Most of his upper torso was encompassed by golden-colored armor which also covered the shoulders: it ended around the chest where the emblem was set at: it was a blue star drawn against a pitch black background.

The design of the armor included two thick white lines emerging NW and NE from his emblem.

They curved as they ran parallel to the neck and past the shoulders.

Another set of two thin blue lines formed from the east and west sides of the emblem and climbed upwards thus diving the armor into two uneven portions: the lower portion was shorter while the upper one was larger.

The armor also covered both sides of the neck and continued above the head where it expanded into two ear-like extensions having blue round dome-like pads.

The arms had a blue ring around the elbow and they were complemented by fin-shaped extensions aiming upwards towards the shoulders: a pale blue transparent ring was also set atop each wrist and the wrists had blue armor covering them: the fingers had armor over them.

Two thick white lines extended from above the end of those diamonds and travelled towards the lower torso area until they met an oval-shaped object with a brown edge and metallic interior: two small rectangles were drawn on the north and south edges, too.

Another two thick lines came out from the NW and NE edges and met the chest emblem by connecting the SW and SE edges, too.

A large blue transparent ring was set around his body in a 45º angle and aiming to the SE: it spanned from the right shoulder until the left forearm.

The plain black-skinned feet (the fingers of which couldn't be seen) had blue armor on their ankles as well and a golden-colored diamond-like object set slightly above the ankle: this object had a blue-colored triangle-like pattern aiming upwards set above of the spot where they began at.

"Introducing his self firstly… It'd seem he knows some courtesy." Knight Man muttered with a hint of curiosity.

"Hum. I guess it's a sign of his self-confidence, yet… There's no mistaking that he's rather competent." Colonel warned.

"We have Barrier Panels set as well today… And trying to find the keys amongst the traps will be an eyesore…" Blues growled.

"Guess that's how it'll be like… Any suggerences, Search Man?"

"Hum… By using my "Search Liberation" then I can accurately find items and "Liberate" from a distance too…" He offered.

"That search ability looks practical. The targeted "Liberation" is within 9 "Phases"! I'll be counting on you!"

"Alright." Enzan confirmed.

"… They came." Search Man suddenly warned.

"Crunch a punch! Roll a troll! Rock a dock! Tail a fail!" "Demon King" came up with his silly rhymes again as he dropped down next to Cosmo Man and giggled.

"_Ou – sama_." Cosmo Man bowed.

"Ya know the drill. Smash them into dust."

"Acknowledged."

"Beware of Durin's Bane." He warned.

"Durin's Bane?" Everyone wondered.

"What… No – one here has ever seen the _Lord of the Rings_ movie trilogy by Peter Jackson?" He sounded amused.

"Ah! You mean that Balrog monster." Knight Man recalled with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Search Man! Scan around there… Colonel and Blues have made some way and cleared a "Dark Hole" already yet we must prioritize the finding of the keys before anything else!" Enzan told him.

"Roger. Key retrieved."

"Napalm Man! Go all out!"

"Oh yeah! Finally~! Eat this! And this! And that too! My heart's on fire! I wanna burn them all!" Napalm Man laughed.

"Knight Man: you can handle that difficult spot."

"Leave that up to me! Royal Wrecking Ball! Hah!"

"Our "Phase" is over… That guy gets to attack next!" Colonel muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh… You'll become spatial dust before you can even come all the way here…" Cosmo Man chuckled.

"We're so scared, really." Laika drily replied.

"Did your instincts get triggered back when the Red Sun Tournament during your face-off with Hikari, Laika?" "Demon King" asked.

"Huh? What? My battle instincts? Of course."

"No, no. Not battle instincts… The forbidden instincts!"

"What crap is that?" Laika growled.

"Pity. I thought you'd gone for a thrill more than once with your bunkmates and all." He teased.

"I am a Commander!" Laika reminded him.

"Ops. My bad. I had the fixed idea that you were a skilled soldier but no more than that." He shrugged.

"Che."

"Let's keep on! Screen Divide!" Colonel rallied.

"Long Sword! I retrieved some Order Points! Search Man! Scan the area for more Items!" Blues called out.

"Roger. Order Points, Zenny, Heart, Battle Chip Data retrieved… The other two panels had traps into them which vary from sudden damage to paralyzing…" Search Man informed them.

"Luckily I strengthened the Folder to allow for quicker Liberations with some combined use of each Navi's abilities… Knight Man is very useful when in ambushes given the attack range of his "Royal Wrecking Ball" technique…" Enzan muttered.

"Oi, F! Will you stop those rhymes of you? They drive me crazy! I'm getting fed up with them! Can't you come up with something else?" "Demon Prince" yelled over the radio.

"So?" He merely asked back.

"So… What?" "Demon Prince" sounded confused.

"Wanna go rumbling and shaking at the rhythmic of the _samba_?" "Demon King" joked.

"No. Go rabbits." He grumbled.

"Go Ring-wraith!"

"Not the _Lord of the Rings_ again… Grah! I need something to cool down before he drives me hysterical. It wasn't pleasant to have to dig out info about those guys." "Demon Prince" grumbled.

"Oho. Do they have a discount anywhere? I'm running out of rotten potatoes." He laughed.

"HUH? What the heck?" He sounded dumbfounded.

"Hmmm… They've making progress, _Ouji – sama _and _Ou – sama_! They've opened all "Barrier Panels" and are close to finishing with the "Dark Holes" and this happened within 5 "Phases"… But let them come closer too because I have a surprise for them… Heh, heh, heh." Cosmo Man reported before chuckling.

"Ops. We got engrossed in our talk and forgot about these fellows. The Club of Dead Poets." He laughed.

"Club of Dead Poets… What silliness, really…" "Demon Prince" groaned in defeat.

"Bring them along for the party! We're gonna have fun all night long shaking and rambling to the pace of Rammstein!"

"That German metal music band, huh… If I were you I'd go airborne 'cause they're done with the last "Dark Hole"…"

"Oho. Alright. The rest is up to ya, Cosmo Man."

"Please leave it to me. I'll have you sink in the universe's "Dark"… Cosmo Planet!" He called out to the "Team" members.

Some golden planetoids with blue thin and transparent rings flew out and hit the group yet Knight Man was able to shield them.

"… Coming all the way until here… What splendid mission accomplishment ability... But that also happens to be something unfortunate for you guys…" He announced once Search Man faced him.

"… Huh?" He didn't seem to catch the point.

"…I won't happen to lower my guard while facing you guys. Thereby… Your 1% hope has happened to become 0% hope." He smugly informed them.

"No calculations are gonna intimidate us ya know. That won't help you win." Enzan shot back.

"That's my motto." Search Man added as he aimed the Scope Gun at his body with a dry look to him.

"Heh, heh, heh. Allow me to introduce you to the never-ending outer space then!" Cosmo Man announced next.

"Scope Gun!"

"Cosmo Gate!"

An oval-shaped distortion of space formed and dropped meteors into the area which Search Man dodged.

"Cosmo Planet!"

He formed those planetoids and Search Man had to shatter their rings as they flew past them yet he was starting to get nervous: he focused and landed some shots which didn't intimidate Cosmo Man.

"Cosmo Ring!"

He picked the ring on his waist and tossed it on the air to then land in the ground and hit an area of four squares around it: Search Man got hit and he had to step back.

"Vulcan 2, Triple Slot In! Program Advance! Mugen Vulcan!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Cosmo Buster!"

Cosmo Man "faded" and formed a distortion of space filled with the light of stars: a rush of small spherical objects flew out in all directions and Search Man got hit several times in a row before knocked into the ground and rendered unable to continue.

"The tiny existences you guys are can't rival with the magnificent cosmic power to begin with." He proclaimed.

"Heck! What power! We've barely scratched his HP! Blues! You go next: do a good job! We gotta time it rightly!" Enzan cursed.

"Go on: try again." "Demon King" giggled.

"Anyway! I haven't found that man who called us so it's either an alias or he knows pretty well how to hide. But I found out who "Mr. W." is and who could that guy's source be." "Demon Prince" told him.

"Tell me later: we don't wanna spoil everything, do we?" "Demon King" replied with a giggle.

"Dream Sword!"

"Hmmm… Not bad yet so insignificant when compared to the cosmic power I hold… Cosmo Gate!" Cosmo Man laughed.

"Che! He doesn't feel pain or what? Or is that armor some new alloy or something like that?" Enzan cursed aloud.

"Ask Mr. Smith. But I fear Mr. Burning Hot will set him on flames before he can confess anything." "Demon King" taunted.

"This guy…!" Napalm Man grumbled.

"Giga Cannon!"

"Hmpf. My turn… Cosmo Buster!"

"Wra~gh! E-Enzan… sama…!"

"Come on, Colonel! We've taken out three quarters of this guy's power: you can cut it!" Enzan was sweating by now.

"Get ready! Screen Divide! Colonel Cannon!"

"Cosmo Planet! Cosmo Ring!"

"Uack! Grrr… No… I won't give up so easily!" Colonel tried to withstand the blows from the enemy.

"Well said!" Enzan rallied.

"0% chance. 0% chance. 0% chance." Cosmo Man taunted.

"You fail at Math!" Rokushakudama yelled.

"Better stay silent." Laika scolded.

"Yeah. Let's be silent." Pride muttered.

"… Ojiouzan! The final blow!"

"Guwo~h!"

"We did it! We… did it!"

"NO WAY!"

Cosmo Man stepped into the trap and got punished with his HP falling to 0 and his body starting to delete.

"… T-this shouldn't be…! The cosmic power is unending…! And yet… Why did I lose? Uga~h!" He wondered before roaring in agony and being deleted.

"Now! Speak!" Laika told them.

"They're alive. And unhurt." "Demon Prince" replied.

"They gotta be resting by now. Guess Rock Man is trying to come up with some desperate trick again but all of them are pointless."

"So they've tried to escape several times but you read them ahead of them and foiled them…" Laika grumbled.

"Isn't that what you do?" "Demon King" taunted.

"Che."

"What's Regal's target?" Enzan demanded.

"He'll say it when the time comes."

"Is that Laser Man "Darkloid" there too?"

"What, Laser Man? Oh no. I happened to... Ops! Wrong, wrong. I mean: no, he isn't. He didn't bother to rebuild him." "Demon Prince" began and suddenly corrected himself.

"That sounded suspicious. Very." Barrel told them.

"Watch your words! _Aibou_!" "Demon King" whispered.

"Well! Can't be helped! That's what happened, you know, back at our original… I mean, in our nation!" "Demon Prince" grumbled.

"So you're foreigners and you met Laser Man which you happened to delete…" Laika deduced.

"Yeah! There, happy? Later!"

"_Bye-bye_!"

Both suddenly escaped and the Navis ended up with a feeling of frustration and emptiness while the area returned to normal coloring and some kind of purplish barrier made of energy streaming upwards formed to block the entrance of the Reverse Internet.

"…Guys. Well done. By "releasing" this Area, we've recovered the surface Internet. What's left is to "release" the Reverse Internet…" Colonel told them.

"The Reverse Internet, eh?" Blues grinned.

"Colonel. What do you intend to do? Give it a shot?" Shadow Man asked.

"We've finally reached the decisive battle? My blood's strirring!"

"I'm ready for that too!" Napalm Man exclaimed.

"It's good to pour it out naturally yet… It's at times like these when we should be careful…"

"What the… The mention of the Reverse Internet chickens ya out?"

"No. Like Search Man said…" Colonel corrected.

Napalm Man remained silent while Colonel continued.

"Nebula can be described as a wounded beast… If we strike out in a reckless manner, we don't know how it'll counter-attack… And since we aren't precisely unhurt…" He exposed.

"And, besides… That door blocking the route to THE Reverse Internet won't be released so easily… I don't think those guys will let us go into the Reverse Internet just like that…"

"That's how it is. Let's Plug-Out once. We'll summon you again when we're about to begin the next mission."

"Please hold on! Is that door something which we really cannot open? Why don't we test it out? As knight I cannot turn my back upon a cornered enemy." Knight Man requested.

"… Do as you like." Colonel challenged.

"Hmmm! Go! Wo~h! Nuo~h!"

Knight Man rammed into it and made the whole area rumble yet the door wouldn't yield.

"… Huff, huff… Nuoh! Fannuo~h! Huff, huff…" He panted and tried to recover his forces before trying again but with no success.

"Did you get it, Knight Man? Plug Out." Colonel grumbled.

"Hum… Can't be helped." He sighed.

"Let's Plug-Out too... Once preparations are complete then we'll contact you… That's all." Colonel commanded.

"Search Man. You've gained some respect from me… for the time being. Keep it on mind." Blues told him.

"Your skills are good and not some mere reputations. I am a "Commander" back at Sharo."

"I know."

"But this time I'll let Colonel lead me and fight along you guys in the Reverse Internet. Later." Search Man admitted with a smile.

Search Man came out and Blues glanced one last time at the door before shrugging.

"At least the guy is a serious type: I prefer them serious and not weeping like Rock Man. Not like I look down on that guy's power either, though, Enzan – sama, sir…" He began to mutter before addressing Enzan and trying not to sound blunt.

"I know. Plug – Out too."

Enzan retrieved Blues and headed upstairs from the square having the general's statue: Kanou Shade was hiding behind his guide-book and Enzan paid no heed to him.

_So… Only the Reverse Internet is pending "Liberation" and then Nebula can be expelled from their Internet control yet I am afraid things won't be so easy to solve… Mr. Ijuuin. You must have faith in the "Team" because something tells me you will be tested in the days to come. I don't know why but I've got that hunch. Those Nebula fools aren't kidding around: the sooner we bring them down the better! If it's you gentlemen, then…_

"… What should we during the rest of the day, sir?"

"Go home and rest for a while besides having a check on the company: we must make sure our sales and stocks keep on being stable or the old geezer will drop down to pick on everything I do. If only he wasn't so maniac with perfect numbers and such… I could do without having to see him in a whole year's time. The scolding I got after the Proto Incident wasn't nice." Enzan sighed.

"Acknowledged, sir."

"… Hikari. I want to know… What's happened to you? What are they doing to you?" He wondered.

_You're my worthy rival… So I won't let them do what they want to you!_

18:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… The surface Internet has been fully "released", huh…"

Dr. Regal was standing inside of his control room and had obviously gotten a hold of the news.

"Hmpf. Whatever… The Internet takeover wasn't anymore than time-stall for my project… That other report which I am seeking… I already have a guess about the "Hikari Report" … If I could get the "Hikari Report" then… My idealized world… The complete evil world… Will be completed. Heh, heh, heh… Wah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" He suddenly exploded into laughter.

"Is that so?" A voice rang out of the computer.

"You lowlife again! Kanou Shade!"

"Indeed. I am afraid my Master would think about you as an eyesore if you were to alter the natural flow of things… It would upset their investments and stakes…" Kanou Shade warned.

"I demand a NAME!"

"A name? IQ. IQ – sama. You'd do well to remember it, Dr. Regal. For IQ – sama rules the whole of Japan underground…" Kanou Shade warned.

"Menacing me…! I'll have you lowlife's head in a silver platter! And that of that repulsive "IQ" whoever they are! My word!" Dr. Regal menaced.

"You're free to try: IQ – sama will be amused by this challenge I daresay, Dr. Regal." Kanou Shade sounded slightly amused.

"Go to Hell!" Dr. Regal pointed the right hand's middle finger at the computer screen.

"This _is_ Hell to begin with. The living _Naraku_…"

"What in the…!"

The line went dead all of a sudden and Dr. Regal growled.

_No – one shall get in MY way!_

18:55 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So? Whaddya think of it, guys? Intriguing, ain't it? We still dunno who this guy is or what role he has on this yet it'd seem there's an intriguing place hidden under the façade of this nation…"

"Good verses, _aibou_."

"What's that "Hikari Report" about? A project of Papa or what?"

"Yeah! Tell us!"

"Yeah. You might think of it like that…"

"… Heh, heh, heh…"

Both "Demon Prince" and "Demon King" had come to the door of the room the twins were locked inside of to tease them through the slit and both twins looked angered and furious by now.

"Too bad we polluted the sanctum of that "old Akihara Town" when the Doc sent the grunts to search for something… Yet Cosmo Man's strategy was amusing was it not?" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"Yeah. Turning them on each other…" "Demon King" chuckled.

"You lowlifes…!" Netto growled.

"Fight like men!" Saito challenged.

"Too bad. It's still too early for that. Well! Rest and be fresh for tomorrow's field mission…" "Demon Prince" shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll get some excitement!" "Demon King" teased with a grin.

They closed the slit and headed away while ignoring the blows directed at the door from the inside.

"The strategy is progressing… Their self-control is breaking up…!"

"Like we'd scheduled… Heh, heh, heh. We're geniuses!"

Both laughed aloud in an evil tone of voice…


	13. Chapter 13: Leadership

**Chapter 13: Leadership**

08:48 AM (Japan Time), Sunday March the 19th…

"… Sakurai. Why did you call me to this place?"

"Enzan – kun. It's true, right? You're part of that "Navi Team" which is "releasing" the Internet areas taken over by Nebula…"

"… Hmpf. Alright, I'll admit to it. Yeah. I want to do something useful and this it. But even if you had your Navis you don't get to join by pure chance: none of them have enough battle potential or the abilities needed to overcome the obstacles in our way…"

Meiru had called Enzan to come at the Akihara City Park in front of Higureya and was talking with him: Enzan shrugged and stuffed both hands on his pockets like looking calm.

"I see… And do you know anything about Netto or…?" She began asking while sounding eager.

"No. Not yet. But I suspect we're hot on their trail. By the way: try to avoid talking of this to those other two." Enzan quickly replied.

"Too bad! We heard it all!" A familiar girl's voice rang out.

Both Yaito and Dekao came out of Higureya and Enzan sighed in defeat while they grinned.

"You guys. Ayanokouji. Are you going to start a war?"

"What! We're just saying that we want to recognize the great labor you've made and this is how you thank us?" Yaito got annoyed.

"What a self-centered guy!"

"… I could say the same about you… Only thinking of the impossible and eluding reality plus lying to your little brother… Hikari tends to come loosen his tongue from time to time… And this info sometimes is useful, even…"

"Yikes!" Dekao gasped.

"Hah! See? Watch your tongue!" Yaito grinned.

"Well then… We don't want to bother you anymore so we'll be going and good luck." Meiru smiled.

"I've heard your talk!"

A girl caught up with them all of a sudden: she appealed as being in their same age group and height.

Her hair was colored black and was neatly arranged while being rolled into two spring rolls shapes beneath the ears: her eyes had a tint of brown to them too.

She wore a simple one-piece white suit with a red-edged skirt reaching past her knees: the sleeves reached all the way to the sleeves and had red cuffs on them while the neck area was also colored red.

She sported white socks and thick black wooden platform shoes which looked hand-made and simplistic.

She carried a lot of stuff: a black moden backpack, a hewn handbag with a leather strap plus a small pouch with something inside of it attached to the handbag plus a short wooden container to carry something hanging from her neck and, lastly, a hand-made umbrella colored in a brownish color.

She looked like some sort of old times' traveler even.

"You! You're fighting THE Nebula?" She asked Enzan.

"And what if? Do you need to know that to survive?" Enzan shot back.

"How rude! I'm named Jasmine! I've come from Choina to study Japanese medicine! Cha! Are cha familiar with the Reverse Internet?"

"The Reverse Internet ain't a place for women like you."

"How rude, how rude! I am not a "woman"! I'm a "girl"!"

"Women are women." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Hmpf! Men are men then!" She was annoyed by now.

Meiru got a twitch over her right eye along with Yaito and both seemed to boiling with annoyance at Enzans' motto yet he didn't see them giving how he was facing forward: Dekao gulped and stepped back like fearing to be turned into the scapegoat for this mess.

"And what would you do if I told you?"

"I'm searching for a secret medicinal book said to be sleeping in the Reverse Internet! I need that to heal my grandpa's illness! Tell me the location of the Reverse Internet!" She explained.

"Go see a specialist. It's not worth sticking the neck out there to begin with. The jerks down there could steal your ID or do some horrible stuff to you once they find out who you are. And I won't tell you."

"W-why not?"

"Why not, you ask? ONBA secret." He argued.

"Bu~! ONBA and whatever! Forget it! I'll find that Reverse Internet thing by myself! _Baka_ guy!" She snapped before she ran away in a rush.

"Hmpf. What a waste of time… We need to get ready for the last mission and…"

"Enzan – sama, sir! The auto-phone, sir!"

"… Hum. Me… Got something to tell you so come to the Science Labs ASAP…" Barrel quickly whispered before cutting the line.

"He's in a rush, I guess. Well then… No other choice but to go there and check it out. See you around. And don't do reckless stuff."

"We know!" Meiru seemed to have cooled down by now.

"Hmpf!" Yaito folded her arms.

"One day I'll beat ya and Netto~!" Dekao challenged.

"Dream on." Enzan calmly countered.

Dekao grumbled while both girls began to burn with bad mood again so he gulped and fled while they cursed under their breaths…

09:03 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Ridley ate Barley!"

"Ookuda. You fail at those."

"Come on, Meijin! Don't be so stone-faced."

"Stone-faced… How silly."

"Excuse me. Let me through."

Enzan came to the Science Labs and spotted Meijin discussing with another employee at the start of the stairs: Meijin stepped away to let Enzan pass.

"Well then Scott ate Marlott!"

"That's so lame, really." Meijin replied as he sipped some _cappuccino_ from his plastic cup.

Enzan ignored them and made his way to the command room where Barrel was finishing a phone call with someone.

"… Understood… Do as you like… Mr. Smith. Later."

"Mr. Barrel. What's up? Do we start the last mission?" Enzan asked as he stored the PET.

"… Hum… No. Today it's not stuff related to the mission… I received some information about the current affair which is being researched on but which I'm concerned about… There's something I'd like of you to research."

"Research? What research?"

"I'm convinced that it's related to this current afair… The "something" Regal is looking for: and he abducted Hikari Yuuichirou to find it… The "Hikari Report"…" He announced.

"… Hikari…? As in Hikari Netto…? So it's a report made by Hikari – hakase…?" Enzan was surprised.

_So that's the "something" Dark Miyabi was talking about some days ago…!_

"No. To be exacts, it's a research report which his father, Hikari Tadashi – hakase, left behind. My reasoning is that Yuuichirou – hakase has that "Hikari Report" or he knows its whereabouts." Barrel corrected.

"A research report left behind by Hikari Tadashi – hakase… What kind of report is it, anyway?"

"Regarding the contents… They're still being investigated. What we know insofar is… Hikari Tadashi – hakase was, about 30 years ago, besides researching in Network theory, carrying a two-man research with a certain scientist. It'd seem the report is about another type of Network technology…"

"..."Another type of Network technology"…? Can't you be more precise?"

"There's no doubt that it's something wholly different than the current Network we use but we don't know anything besides that…"

"Hum. Sounds like a top-secret project if you ask me yet the info is too vague." Enzan rubbed his chin.

"Can't be helped. We're talking over 30 years ago. And, besides… This research information wasn't made public so… We also are in a position into which we can't clearly tell if the "Hikari Report" really exists or not. I dunno what Regal intends to make by using Hikari – hakase's Network tech, but, anyway, it's obvious that we must get the "Hikari Report" before Regal can. Do you have any info about if Hikari Tadashi – hakase entrusted Yuuichirou – hakase with something?" Barrel exposed before asking of him.

"From father to son… Hmmm…"

"Enzan – sama, sir… Perhaps that letter which we discovered…" Blues offered.

"But in the end that was but a hint to get to the Akihara Town the year Hikari Netto was born in…" Enzan was quick to discard it.

"The Akihara Town of the year when Hikari Netto was born…?"

"True. It's a split area which one can come in through Akihara Area in which the Akihara Town of 11 years ago is recreated."

"… A "Past Vision"…?" Barrel wondered.

"… "Past Vision"...?"

"A tech which is the preservation of a real-world instant by its digitalization into the Cyber World: I wouldn't have though it was hidden in Akihara Area… By the way… What was written in that letter you mentioned a moment ago?" Barrel summed up.

"… One moment… Hum… "To my son Yuuichirou… I ask of you not to neglect tasking care of Gau. I always say it, but Gau mustn't get wet. Given how he gets mad at those times, let Gau inside of house when it begins to rain." … That's what it says. The dog named "Gau" did live in the reverse of Hikari Netto's house 11 years ago." He read aloud before explaining the meaning of "Gau" to Barrel.

"Ijuuin Enzan. Search for that dog: it could become a very important clue to find the "Hikari Report"… Head for the "Past Vision"…" Barrel suddenly commanded while looking impatient.

"Roger."

"Counting on you…"

Enzan headed over to the terminals on the left side of the room and drew his PET.

"Plug – In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues quickly made his way through the Science Labs' Area and reached Akihara Area where he located the door: he stepped into the "Past Vision" and searched the area.

"Hmmm? How odd. I was convinced that the dog was here last time around, Enzan – sama, sir…"

"Can't you spot if it went off to somewhere else?"

"Negative, sir. I cannot spot them." Blues reported.

There was the sound of a door opening and Colonel rushed out of the entrance to meet up with Blues.

"You came." Blues greeted him.

"Was it there?" Colonel anxiously asked.

"Truth is… Last time it was yet…" He admitted.

"What? The inhabitants of a "Past Vision" belong to a certain moment of the past which was digitalized: they shouldn't be able to freely move around!" Colonel argued.

"Then Nebula might've beaten us to it?" Blues suggested.

"Could be yet there's another thing I'm thinking of…" Colonel brought the left hand to his chin.

"And that's…?" Blues asked.

"Yeah. Carry out an investigation as much detailed as possible about that dog. I'll check out if there are any new movements by Nebula… If they have gotten the dog then they should be on the move by now." Colonel commanded to him next.

"Fair enough." Blues acknowledged.

"Let's go talk with Hikari – san, Blues. Plug Out."

Enzan retrieved Blues and holstered the PET while Barrel merely nodded and drew his own PET: Enzan came out and closed the door to then exit into the lobby: Ookuda and Meijin were still arguing.

"… Matt will beat Ratt!"

"No. Foot Man will beat your run-of-the-mill Navi." Meijin shot back.

"Run will beat nun!"

"That sounds offensive. Watch your words, Ookuda."

"How silly." Enzan muttered with a hint of annoyance after he'd walked past them.

09:35 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Good morning, ma'am. I apologize for my sudden visit yet there is something I would like of you to tell me."

"What's up?"

Enzan came to visit Haruka and tried to look friendly while she was apparently trying to keep herself together and not break down.

"When your son… Sorry. When you _sons_ were born… Did you have a dog in the house, ma'am?" He corrected himself.

"When Netto and Saito were born? When they were born we didn't have any dog in the house…" Haruka replied.

"How odd." Enzan frowned.

"Wait for a min." She suddenly seemed to have remembered something given how she frowned and brought the right index finger to his chin as if concentrating.

She ran off towards the stairs and Enzan sat down on a chair next to the table while looking somewhat fueled by her behavior: he looked out at the dog-house he'd inspected before and then began to write down a summary of what he'd found insofar.

"…There it was… It's a photo of over ten years ago, though." Haruka's voice rang out as she came back about 10 minutes later.

Enzan grabbed the photo and it showed a younger Hikari Tadashi along with Gau somewhere: he was smiling at the camera.

"Ah! It's this dog indeed…! Ma'am! You said that back then there wasn't a dog yet are you sure there's no room for mistakes?"

"Yes. There's no room for mistakes."

"I see… I am sorry to ask, but might I borrow this photograph for a few hours?" Enzan requested.

"Yes, I don't mind." Haruka invited.

"Do you know anything related to this dog, ma'am? Like a place which this dog was fond of…" Enzan asked.

"Hum… The dog was there before I got married so I don't know much about it yet… Ah! True… That photo… It seems to have beem taken where Grandpa used to bring Gau along to often… I don't know where they went to but every time they came back from there both Grandpa and Gau were covered with dust…" Haruka admitted after thinking back on it for a little while.

"Stained with dust… Hmmm… Ah! I remember. The Oran Island mine… Thank you for your help, ma'am!" Enzan looked animated by the information so he stood up and politely bowed.

"I'm glad I was of help."

"… I will rescue them. We are catching up to them. Please hold on, ma'am… For their sake. It can't be much longer. I'm sure that it won't be even 6 days from now on…" Enzan tried to rally her.

"… Truth is…" Haruka trailed off.

"What?" Enzan politely asked.

"I got a strange message. It was written in binary so I asked Yuuichirou – san's aide to decode it for me… It was from Saito!"

"What!" He gasped.

"Yet it was extremely short and rushed… "We're alright for the moment. We're trying to find a way to save Papa. Please be strong, Mama. We're doing all we can. Saito." … I know it's from him because he added my stew recipe which I'd asked of him to bring to a friend's on that day…"

"I see…! So he managed to sneak a message out… That's a good sign: they must be doing their best… I need to help them too so I must go! Please believe in them, ma'am!" Enzan sounded animated.

"I do. And I also believe in you, Enzan – kun, as their friend."

"Thank you, ma'am… Goodbye."

11:48 AM (Japan Time)…

"…What do you seek in this inhabited island?"

"That's my motto."

Enzan had come to the coal mine entrance when he spotted an old man there who looked suspicious of him yet Enzan was not surprised.

"Me? I used to work here time ago! It pains me to see how this island is getting gradually abandoned… So I come from time to time to cleanse the island up." The old man admitted.

"So you worked before, mister? Maybe you've seen this person and this dog?" Enzan had an idea.

He handed him the photo and the man immediately gasped so Enzan's hopes grew.

"Oh! I know them! This is a scientist from the Science Labs who used to come here a lot in the old days. He did get to help me out a lot."

"So you know my companion's grandfather?"

"What! Are you a friend of that scientist's grandson? Ah! True, I've got something which I was granted custody of by that scientist… My Navi possesses it. My Navi should be in the Internet Oran Island Area which can be accessed from the abandoned mine. I wouldn't have though that I'd end up meeting a friend of that scientist's grandson… Maybe my time is getting closer, even?" The man sounded surprised.

"Alright."

Enzan headed over to one speaker close by and aimed the PET's IR port at its Plug-In port: Blues made his way to an isolated spot of Oran Island Area 1 and spotted a Navi standing there so he headed over to him: the Navi stretched and then looked at him.

"…You came. I heard the talk from my Operator. Go and take this with you." The Navi went straight to the point.

"… "Old P-Code"…?" Blues wondered.

"I wonder… Is it a "P-Code" of a "Security Cube" set somewhere? Given how it belonged to that scientist… I wonder… Could it be related to the Science Labs…? I've always been picked by it truth to be told… If you figure out where that old "P-Code" belongs at then please tell me…"

"Fine."

"Now that you mention it… A young lad… Well, I say young but he had to be at least 10 years older then you… Came by a while ago asking if the mine had anything but coal on it and I admitted that there was this curious "Magne Metal" ore… That scientist seemed to be pretty interested on it…" The old man recalled.

"Hmmm… An agent of Nebula or someone else…? Didn't he leave any names?"

"Oh sure he did. I wouldn't speak to him without knowing his name so he elegantly and speaking like a _samurai_ he introduced himself as "Mr. Smith" and said he "came and went"… Odd fellow."

"Mr. Smith… Wait. Wasn't Mr. Barrel taking with someone named like that a while ago…? But "Smith" is a pretty overused English name… It could be totally unrelated yet…" Enzan muttered.

"In fact… I haven't seen him come out of the island… He also spoke to that beautiful Princess – sama in the beach and I couldn't help but overhear on them… Heh, heh, heh. But he was very business-like and only wanted details of an incident in which her Navi went berserk…"

"The "Magne Metal"… It emitted some kind of EM waves which turned Navis berserk when coming close to it…" Enzan muttered.

"Oh! It can do that? Well, I do remember that the scientist was muttering about it being very hard to crack and very effective but he wouldn't say why he thought of it to be "effective"…" The old man added.

"This is turning strange. Maybe I'll talk with Princess Pride later but I doubt her having spotted anything else… Let's go try to find where we must use this code… And I have a hunch of where to look at… Thanks for the information, mister. Goodbye."

12:14 PM (Japan Time)…

"…"OLD-MODEL"… AND THAT'S WHY THEY MAKE A FOOL OF ME? HEY, DID YOU KNOW? IT'S NOT LIKE I AGE BECAUSE I LIKE IT! JEEZ! HOW ANNOYING, REALLY! "

"Ah… No… Where is this? I used an "Old P-Code" to open an old Security Cube in the Science Labs Area 3 and now I'm here…"

"THEY CALL THIS "OLD COMPUTER TERMINAL CYBERNETICS"… OLD! HAH! BACK THEN… WE WERE THE FASTEST TERMINALS IN THE SCIENCE LABS!"

"Old computer terminal…?"

Blues had come up into the "Cybernetics" of some device and was talking with a Program – kun who sounded annoyed.

"Move on, Blues."

"Roger, sir."

He spotted another Program – kun near the exit and tried to call for its attention: it took a little while for him to reply.

"…AH. SORRY. LATELY MY REACTIONS HAVE TURNED SLOWER … DUNNO WHY: MY BODY FEELS SLUGGISH… AH! AGE, IT'D SEEM!"

"Where does this lead to?" Blues asked.

"A VERY OLD SECTION OF AKIHARA AREA… CUT OFF FROM THE REST OF THE AREA…"

"Hum. I see. Thanks."

Blues jumped into the "Warp Point" and reached a section of Akihara Area 2 cut off from the rest of it: a Navi was standing there.

"I am the Navi of Hikari Tadashi… If you have come here then that means you are the Navi of Yuuichirou – kun?" The Navi asked.

"No. I am a companion of Yuuichirou – hakase's son, Hikari Netto's, Net Navi, whose name is Rock Man… I am Blues." He admitted while not bothering to conceal his surprise.

"So that's how it is… He probably is carrying on Hikari Tadashi's will as well… Well then, I shall hand this over to you. Give to him…"

"… "Past Key Data"…?" Bliues wondered.

"Alright… I have handed it over…" The Navi muttered.

"Oi. Is this a key to enter a "Past Vision"?" Blues asked.

"There is a riddle from Hikari Tadashi… "The 4th rock-smashing machine… A box which stops the rocks marks the place…" …With this my work has ended…" The Navi trailed off.

"Wait…!"

Blues gasped as he spotted how the glow on the Navi's eyes died and he remained still like a statue.

"T-this Navi…! Given how it's a pretty old model then his data has deteriorated past repair and stopped functioning! We made it on time!"

"It was worth it making the route from Oran Island Area… Let's go check the drilling machines… Plug Out!"

Enzan ran into the mine and used the elevators to climb down into the large drill room: he then sent Blues inside of the "Drilling Machine Cybernetics 4" and headed him over to the device stopping the rock conveyor belt: a Program – kun was standing close by.

"A VISITOR: HOW SURPRISING… MAYBE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?" He asked.

"Yeah. Have a look."

"HUM, HUM… "THE 4TH ROCK-SMASHING MACHINE… A BOX WHICH STOPS THE ROCKS MARKS THE PLACE …" … ISN'T THAT THAT DEVICE OVER THERE? SPEAKING OF WHICH… LONG, LONG AGO… I SAW A NAVI VANISH INTO THE EMPTY SPACE NEXT TO THE DEVICE! I WAS OBVIOUSLY SURPRISED BY THAT… I THINK THAT AN ENTRANCE TO ANOTHER DIMENSION IS LOCATED THERE… MAYBE… SO THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S BETTER NOT TO COME TOO CLOSE TO IT…" He explained while trailing off.

Blues rushed over to the space and stood there.

"… Hum, hum… "A box which stops the rocks marks the place"… Isn't that here?" He wondered.

He took a step closer and the "Past Key Data" glowed to then allow a door to reveal itself.

"There is it! A door linking to the same 11-year ago Akihara City "Past Vision"…!" He exclaimed.

"Good work. Once you feel ready then come inside!"

"Roger, sir."

Blues opened the door and came out of a medium-sized cargo ship parked next to the main Oran Island wharf: he could see several persons around there plus the speakers were working and looked like they'd been recently installed.

"This place…? The old Oran Island…!"

"We should've expected it… Blues! Begin the search!"

"Roger, sir."

Blues approached a scientist who was going over some notes set in a clipboard and heard him mutter.

"Like we'd thought… It'd seem that huge amounts of "Magne Metal" are sleeping in this island's soil… I must contact Hikari – hakase."

Blues seemed to mark the words and then came closer to a man standing in the beach.

"Fu~h… How hot! Processing coal ain't a walk in the park…" He groaned.

Blues then tried to hear to a foreigner musing over a cart filled with coal.

"Hah, hah, hah! A lot of stuff today as well! I did well on bothering to come all the way from Ameroupe!" He exclaimed.

Blues dashed towards a man walking around there and humming.

"Today we dug up a lot of coal as well! Oran Island is rich in mineral resources!" He exclaimed.

He then spotted a woman who looked like a typical worker-class housewife and who was muttering in an annoyed tone of voice.

"The men who work in the coal mine eat up a lot! They want so much rice: I never have enough!" She complained.

Blues shrugged and then climbed down to the other beach where he spotted a young boy playing around plus another ship.

"My dad is working on that coal mine deeper inside! It's gotta be cool!"

"I cannot seem to spot any dog, sir." Blues reported.

"So it'd seem… Maybe we need to head back already."

"Gau! Gau!"

"A dog is barking…!" Blues gasped and looked around.

"Gau! Gau! Gau! Gau!"

"Loud dog! Be quiet already!"

Blues spotted a black-colored Nebula Navi cornering Gau in the western edge of the island.

"If ya yell so much then that Blues guy will find me out!"

"No need. I've found you lowlife already." Blues was already behind them with the Long Sword drawn.

"Guh! Blues!" He gasped.

"A Nebula Navi… They've been following me. We won't hand that dog over to you lowlifes!"

"Keh! Just by saying "let go" you think I'll go "yes, is that so?" or what? It's obvious that I'm not gonna let go of it! While I'm at it I'll go and delete ya! If I get the dog and beat Blues then Regal – sama will surely be rejoiced!" He boasted.

"Come!"

"Guora~h!"

"Slow!"

Blues quickly sliced him up and the Navi groaned.

"Mugo~h! I'd heard the rumors but didn't expect the guy to be so strong…! Nugo~h!" He roared before being deleted.

Blues took a step forward towards Gau while lowering the Long Sword to try to look less hostile.

"Gau. It's alright by now. Calm down."

"Grrr…"

"It looks like it is still either scared or annoyed yet I wonder why Nebula was chasing them… Catch them, Blues."

"Roger, sir."

"Grrr!"

"Relax. I've come to help you. Calm down."

Blues took another step forward and Gau remained quiet.

"Good. Come over here. Like this…" He invited.

"Gau!"

Gau tackled him and then rushed past him and he managed to get on his feet again.

"Wha! Wait! I apologize: he escaped, sir."

"He can't have gone too far. Search for him. He must be close by."

"Roger, sir."

Blues examined the forest of plants close by and heard rustling sounds coming from there so he came closer and tried to listen in as he determined the source of them.

"I heard a sound over there…"

"Gau!"

Gau jumped out and tackled him again before running southwards: Blues stood up and grumbled.

"Wha! I got caught again…" He cursed.

"Come on. It's just a dog." Enzan animated.

"I understand, sir."

"Woof! Woof!"

"The dog's voice…! T-that's…!"

Blues looked at the southern beach to spot Blizzard Man who'd caught Gau inside of a snow ball.

"Hyururu~! Caught ya~! Alright, let's kiss farewell to this hot place. However… What use has Regal – sama for this dog, I wonder?" He laughed before he began wondering.

"Gau! Gau! Gau!"

"Hyurururu~! Jeez! What a loud dog!" He protested.

"Let go of that dog!" Blues yelled.

"Hyururu?"

Blues jumped down and confronted him by aiming the Long Sword at him and looking annoyed.

"Blizzard Man! You lowlife fell in the 1st "Liberation Mission"!"

"… Hyurururu! You'd expected to beat me back there…? As long as there is "Dark" in this world then… We "Darkloids" can be revived countless times…! Hyururururu~!" He laughed.

"Don't care! I'll defeat you over and over again! Go, Blues!"

"Your will!"

"Hyurururu~! I've got no time to properly deal with ya! Hyururu~! Have at ya~!"

He suddenly escaped with Gau in tow and Blues growled in frustration while making a grimace.

"You lowlifes! I shall no offer no apologies, Enzan – sama! I failed miserably, sir!" He apologized.

"Che! Then we gotta go back to the Science Labs and report on the situation!" Enzan growled.

His auto-phone rang all of a sudden.

"Enzan – sama, sir! The auto-phone, sir! Connecting…"

"Ah! Good, good! It connected!" Someone exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Enzan questioned.

"I am a Science Labs worker! Right now… The Science Labs HP is suffering an attack by Nebula's "Darkloids"…! We need you to lend us your power! Please come to the Science Labs ASAP!"

"Ijuuin Enzan! The Nebula guys finally came! Give us a hand!" Barrel called out in background.

"By all the…! We must get there ASAP! Blues! Plug Out and let's rush to the Science Labs!"

"Roger, sir!"

Enzan rang out and into the surface where he sent Blues into the speaker leading to Oran Island Area 1.

"No time to do the 2-hour long return trip yet… Do it! I'll be on my way there but I can use the IPC satellite to remain uplinked!"

"Roger, Enzan – sama, sir!"

"I'm counting on you! Plug – In! Blues, Transmission!"

"Here I come! Nebula dogs!"

12:47 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Colonel!"

Blues made it to a corner of the Science Labs HP where Colonel was fending off four Nebula grunts plus Shade Man hovering behind them and looking amused.

"Ki, ki~! Blues, huh… A troublesome guy showed up…"

"Grah! Shade Man got resurrected too!" He cursed.

"Ki, ki, ki~… Given those looks then you've already met with Blizzard Man… Which means that… We've gotten "it" at last…? Ki, ki, ki, ki! There's no more need for stalling…" He muttered.

"I'll lend a hand!" Blues told Colonel.

"Ones who rebel against us of Nebula…! The time has finally come! The idealized world by our Lord, Regal – sama… The completely evil world shall be born!" He proclaimed.

"What!" Colonel gasped.

"Ki, ki, ki~! I'd liked to play around for a bit more but you'll have to excuse me in this spot…" He laughed.

"Running away?" Blues growled.

"My servants! Delete these two guys!"

"Shade Man! You lowlife!"

Shade Man escaped while the four Nebula grunts took a step forward while chuckling.

"Where are looking at? We're your opponents!"

Another three of them came in behind Blues and he had to whip around so as to face them.

"Grah! We're surrounded!" He cursed.

"Blues. Handle the rear…"

"Roger."

"No matter what strategies you knead… You guys can't win!" The Nebula grunts boasted.

"Coming, sir!"

"Uora~h!"

"Delta Ray Edge!"

"Colonel Army!"

Blues quickly sliced his three opponents while Colonel formed some "Stone Cubes" which then gave way to some "soldier" programs who were armed with machineguns and swords and were able to strike the enemies off-guard while Colonel finished them off.

"Gu~… Gurya~!"

"Kuh! The Science Labs have suffered a direct attack…! We can't use the Science Labs as a Command Room anymore." Colonel grumbled once all enemies had been deleted.

"… Colonel. Nebula stole the dog." He reported.

"I roughly got that from their chatter but… As I thought: the dog wasn't an inhabitant of the "Past Vision", then!" Colonel muttered.

"Huh? Wasn't an inhabitant…?" Blues wondered.

"Correct. The "Past Vision" is an instant cut out of the past real world and preserved… In short: they're events which happened in the past… And since it supposedly eternally repeats that instant... It's impossible for it to take action in "real time"… I did think that it was suspicious back when we found out that the dog wasn't there…" He exposed.

"… Then that dog _did_ have some connection to the "Hikari Report" after all?" Blues guessed.

"It'd seem there's no room for mistakes… Let's Plug – Out once for the time being… Since we dunno if Nebula set up any listening devices or not!"

"Roger."

"Ijuuin Enzan. Plug – Out. Barrel will talk with you."

"Fine. Blues. Plug – Out."

"Yes, sir."

"Use the satellite uplink to come back… I'm going to risk it and go full speed today to reach the coast sooner… Mr. Barrel! I am to blame that the dog got stolen. My apologies." He reported over the PET.

"Can't be helped in regretting what's already happened. What's important is how we're going to operate from now on. I dunno what exactly Nebula intends. But it'd seem that now that they've gotten "Gau" then their scheme is going to enter into its last stages without any doubt…"

"So what can we do?" Enzan asked of him.

"First is smashing Nebula's forces occupying the Reverse Internet. And then uncover Nebula's hideout while defeating Regal before he can make something happen…" Barrel replied.

"Yeah… But the main danger lurks in the Reverse Internet. And doing a "Liberation Mission" seems to be risky even…" Enzan sighed.

"What's wrong? When did your statements become so bearish…?" Barrel sounded puzzled.

"I was useless to stop Nebula from stealing the dog. Even if we delete Nebula's "Darkloids" then they get resurrected soon enough like we've checked today. And I don't feel like I'm properly Operating as of late either…" Enzan admitted.

… True: you're the "Team Operator", yet… Who do you think the "Team Leader" is? Leave the "Team" combat up to Colonel. You just concentrate on performing the best Operation…" Barrel reminded him.

"Guess you're right. We've got a powerful "Leader" after all."

"…We're a "Team"… It ain't like you're fighting all alone… Don't forget that." Barrel warned.

"Alright." Enzan acknowledged.

"Well then. Let's begin the strategy for the next mission and… Well, that's what I'd like to say but… The Science Labs have been hit and intruded by Nebula… We can't use this place as command room anymore. In this situation… I'd like of you to find new a place to serve as replacement of this command room..." Barrel charged him with.

"A new command room… Hmmm… Somewhere wide enough yet where the enemy can't locate it… Somewhere like that?"

"Finding that is your job. I don't care what methods you use. But, if possible, try to find it out ASAP."

"Roger. I'll think of something. Maybe I'll find a small palace even which is shining with newness…" Enzan came up with some sarcasm.

"Heh... I'll be expecting it…"

Enzan finished the call while Blues reappeared inside of the PET: Enzan soon spotted the coast so he parked the water-bike in the store's dock ramp and headed into it.

"I've returned it: here, the keys."

"Please do come again soon." The clerk bowed.

"Sure thing."

Enzan came out of the store and then headed for the nearest Metro Station: he bought a coffee cup from a machine and spotted something odd in the display so he made a sign to Blues.

"… Some kind of hijacking program has been left behind along with binary data… Yet that data looks like a post-addition… Maybe they're another message by Rock Man?" He wondered.

"Copy it and decode it ASAP." Enzan whispered.

"Your will."

_Hikari, Rock Man… Where are you at?_

13:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… You are Higure Yamitarou, right? Hikari talked me about you."

"Oh! Ijuuin – kun! Welcome, de masu. Welcome to my Higureya, de masu. What's the matter, de masu?"

Enzan had come to Higureya and was talking with Higure as he stood next to the Chip Traders and the Loto Machine.

"Truth is…"

He whispered something to Higure and he nodded in understanding while he looked intrigued too.

"You're looking for a wide space, de masu? There's a place I can think of which may serve, de masu… If you lend me a hand in my job then I'll provide you with that place, de masu…" He grinned.

"Lend a hand…?" Enzan asked.

"…True, de masu! This world is "_give & take_"! De masu! If you want to gain something… You gotta pray its price, de masu!" He insisted.

"I knew that. I'm not IPC's VP in vain! But, whatever. What do you want me to do?" Enzan shrugged his shoulders.

"Truth is… Number Man went into End Area 3 to deliver a product to a customer but was suddenly attacked by Viruses… And the file with the customer's personal data was dropped there, de masu…"

"Then you're in big trouble." Enzan lifted his eyebrows.

"True, de masu… If society gets to know it… That'll mean a big drop of confidence in Higureya, de masu… Please, de masu! I'd like of you to find the data file which Number Man dropped, de masu!" He pleaded.

"Can't you be somewhat more specific? End Area 3 is a big place after all!"

"True… He'd been admiring something really admirable when the Viruses assaulted him or so he told me, de masu…"

"Something really admirable…? Hmmm… Alright. I get it."

"Please, de masu~!"

Enzan nodded and came out: he stepped into a phone booth and used it to allow Blues inside of the Cyber World.

"Let's start the search… Luckily I secured some P-Codes and we can come through their HPs from the links in my office's PC… Go to IPC Home Office and then to End Area HP…" Enzan commanded.

"Roger."

Blues swiftly made his way through the IPC firewalls where the Navis saluted and unlocked the doors: Blues then reached Enzan's PC and used the Warp Point to skip to End Area HP and from there to End Area itself where he stopped to get his bearings.

"Over there…" He muttered.

He ran into End Area3 and soon reached the replica of the "Shachihoko Castle" which was the communications system.

"I think it's this, Enzan – sama."

He looked behind it and found a "Data File" which he picked and stored: he failed to spot a normal Navi colored black and sapphire looking at him from a distance without muttering anything.

"Good. Let's go back to the store."

Enzan recalled Blues and quickly headed into the store where he showed Higure the file.

"… Oh, oh, oh, o~h! T-t-this is it, de masu! Saved, de masu! You've solved it without the occurrence of Higureya's greatest scandal, de masu! Well then! Let me provide you with the secret base as we'd agreed… De masu…! But, before that…"

He glanced around the store and cleared his throat: the only customers were a couple of elementary boys and one girl.

"All visitors! My bad, de masu, but we're closed today! De masu! Come out ASAP, de masu!"

"E~h? Why the heck!" A boy uttered.

"And now that I was thinking of doing a Net Battle~!" Another groaned in disappointment.

"How oppressive!" A girl protested.

"Come out already, de masu!"

"Boring! Let's go!"

"Yup! Go, go!"

"I'm going back too~!"

"Come again, de masu! Kept you waiting, de masu… Well then, follow me, de masu… Here, de masu…" He called out: he looked at Enzan and smiled.

Enzan shrugged his shoulders and followed Higure to the northern wall where a cardboard silhouette of Number Man had been glued to.

"Here, de masu… Overnight, overnight, people in full bloom! Inside, de masu… Follow me, de masu…" He chanted some kind of spell.

A door unlocked and Enzan lifted his eyebrows.

"Inside, de masu… Follow me, de masu…"

"Amusing."

Enzan followed Higure into what had the looks of a back store given the piles of boxes accumulated there.

"So there's a backroom to your store…"

"This is Higureya's storeroom and, also, my office, de masu… Alright, over here, de masu…"

"My."

The corridor turned to the left and led to a wide room having a gigantic LCD monitor on the far wall, a desk, and a table with two working computers plus a half-dismantled one: wires, bolts, screwdrivers and papers were scattered around.

"How is it, de masu? I've staked money and equipment, de masu, so you can do almost anything anytime, de masu…"

"Not bad, Higure Yamitarou. This is exactly what I was looking for."

"Heh, heh, heh… I'm honored that it picks you, de masu… You can start using it today, de masu…" He grinned.

"Thanks. But won't you get into trouble from letting us use it?"

"I get it, de masu. This a secret base, right? I won't tell anyone, de masu! A secret base is secret so that's why it's worth it, de masu! Exposing a secret base's secret it's not manly! … Right? Ijuuin – kun?" He exposed.

"Heh. True. Let's call Mr. Barrel over."

Higure came out while Enzan drew his PET and dialed a number while trying to ignore the buzz of a dragonfly hovering around the ceiling: Barrel soon connected.

"Found it. Higureya's back store. Akihara Town Park… Next to the Metro Station… The owner is trustable: Hikari buys Chips from him very often and he knows useful info..." Enzan reported.

"Roger. Be there soon."

The call got cut and Enzan sat on the edge of the desk while looking rather amused.

"Hikari would like to come and play hide-and-seek here." He muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Regarding Hikari and Rock Man, sir… The message we found earlier says "Two jerks bossing us around like field agents… Hard to shake off… Regal looking for some "Hikari Report"… HQ…" … Yet it gets cut off. I'm afraid they found this one out yet they decided that by now it wasn't dangerous for us to know this…" Blues reported.

"I see… We gotta tell this to Mr. Barrel once he comes over." Enzan calmly rubbed his chin.

"Tell me what?"

Barrel came in and stopped to look around with a hint of curiosity: he checked the working computers and then the monitor before assuming his post behind the desk.

"…Hum. This spot, as command room, is irreproachable… So, what did you want to tell me?"

"We've found two messages left behind by Hikari and Rock Man in two spots… They say they're largely alright yet those two lowlifes are bossing them like they were field agents… They know Regal is looking for the "Hikari Report" yet when they were about to relay the position of the HQ it gets cut off." Enzan summed up.

"I see. Then they might be the "infiltrators" who sneak hijacking programs in several strategic facilities during late night…"

"Ah. I didn't know of those… I'd heard about the Waterworks yet… So that's what they're doing apart from ruling the Network… Anyway. We can talk later. So let's get on with planning the strategy for the next mission and…!" He began but was cut off.

A beeping sound rang out and Barrel gasped as he looked at his PET with a surprised face.

"The surveillance alarm?" Barrel exclaimed.

"Surveillance alarm, you say?" Enzan wondered.

"A device which Colonel set on the door connecting with the Reverse Internet… It'd seem that someone is attempting to come into the Reverse Internet…" Barrel explained.

"No way…" Enzan groaned.

"Got any hunches?" Barrel looked up.

"Some foreign woman named Jasmine was bothering me with questions over the route to the Reverse Internet!" He confessed.

"… Huh…! A civilian…! Ijuuin Enzan, head for End Area 5! I'll send Colonel in later!" He ordered.

13:56 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Stay away from that door! Don't come closer to that!"

"Who are cha? I gotta go there, ya see."

"What's wrong, Meddy?"

"Jasmine. Listen up: this man is blocking me from going to the Reverse Internet. "

Blues intercepted a female Navi trying to interact with the door blocking the way to the Reverse Internet.

Her general height appealed to be at around a meter and sixty or maybe slightly less yet shorter in height than Blues.

Her helmet's main color was navy blue and it covered her whole head: reddish transparent shades shielded her bluish eyes while two hair string-like shapes formed from each side of the forehead having a small reddish band near the end of them.

The rear part of the helmet had a cylinder-like shape emerging from it which also had a thin reddish band towards the end of it: her ear pads had a reddish outer rim and the insides were white: nothing particular was drawn into it.

A curved white-colored object was set slightly over her forehead and had her emblem drawn into it: four upper-half-of-a-finger-shaped and red-colored forms aiming NW, NE, SW and SE with a diamond-shaped white space set on its center: the rim was colored blue and the rest of the space was colored white.

She wore a white bodysuit over the central part of her body which ended around the hips while forming an irregular-sphere-like form: two lines of a brownish color travelled down it starting slightly beneath the neck and ending past the hips: they drew two circles at around the hips' height.

The bodysuit was sleeveless, so part of her arms' "skin" was exposed: the forearm covering began around the elbow: it included a small circle which was placed above the elbow.

Her fingers were covered by that white "glove" like-material.

Part of her legs' "skin" was exposed until the boots began around the knees' height: they had a slightly heel-shoe-like form with reddish domes forming around the ankles on the "outer" side of each boot: the "inner" side only had a circle drawn inside of it.

She also carried a kit-like case with a red handle and her emblem on on it.

"I knew it. Didn't I tell you not to come in?" Enzan grumbled.

"The smug-faced manly guy from before…! Nya~h!"

"Smug-faced or not I'm part of the ONBA and I can have you arrested here and now for unauthorized entry." Enzan warned.

"I don't need to listen to cha chit-chat! Meddy! Pry that door open!" She fumed.

"Yup!"

"You woman! Don't be a fool!" Blues cursed.

"Hmpf! I don't recall receiving orders form cha! Kya~h!"

She suddenly ran back and hid behind Blues as a blackish cloud floated towards the barrier from before and destroyed it.

"Been a while…" A voice rang out.

"Che. I know that voice. Show your hide!" Blues growled.

"Oh come on." Enzan groaned.

"I've been revived from the depths of Hell to defeat you guys!" The voice exclaimed.

Cloud Man floated until the spot where the door had been at.

"Che! And now I must fight while shielding this woman?"

"It'd seem that all of you "Darkloids" are diehard folk…" A familiar voice rang out as Colonel came into the area and drew his sword.

"About time, Colonel!"

"Blues. Leave this to me!" Colonel announced.

"Hmpf! I don't care how many come in! Elec St…!"

"Slow! I've already seen that move once… Moves I've seen once don't work on me!" Colonel exclaimed as he warped in front of him and attack with his sword.

"Ugugugu… Why, you…!" He grumbled as he floated backwards while his body frizzled and sparkled.

"He ran…"

Blues shook Meddy off him and both of them drove her into a corner where she looked scared.

"I dunno your goal. But, for a civilian, stepping into the Reverse Internet is absolutely and totally reckless. Learn this and Plug Out ASAP. And don't come close to the Reverse Internet twice." Colonel scolded.

Meddy remained silent and looking at the ground while Colonel turned to speak with Blues.

"… Hum! Let's Plug-Out once and build up the strategy for the next mission…" He began saying.

Meddy gasped and suddenly ran for the road beyond the broken barrier to their surprise.

"You woman! Are you deaf? Come back!" Blues yelled.

"Kyah!"

She was frozen in place because Cloud Man was still around and looking pretty annoyed by now.

"C-Colone~l…! Y-you guys won't go back alive…! Wo~h!"

"He intends to self-destruct!" Blues cursed.

"Kya~h!" Meddy was paralyzed by the fear.

"I'll smash you~!" He roared as he spread his arms open.

"Che!"

Colonel warped in front of her and attacked Cloud Man: there was an explosion and when the flash died down neither Colonel nor Cloud Man were anywhere to be seen at all.

_My. That's called going down with a bang._ "Demon Prince" giggled as he looked at the scene.

"A… Ah…!" Meddy gasped in horror.

"C-Colonel…!" Blues gasped.

"No way… You're kidding…!" Enzan uttered.

"COLONEL!" Blues called out.

_Heh! Is that the so-famous "KIA" status? Well! It sure does look like it to me... Amusing, truly!_

"… YOU LOWLIFE~!"

Blues leapt into the air and cut through it to knock "Demon Prince" down from the air and open a gash on his cloak around the upper portion of his body thus revealing a purplish bodysuit with a yellow line traveling down its center and stopping on the yellow edge of a chest emblem which couldn't be seen: the guy drew his right hand which was funded in a purple glove and covered the wound.

"Grah! I still dunno how you can detect me at such distances! And I didn't tell Cloud Man to do anything! He was there 'cause he was in charge of that door!" He groaned.

"Where is the HQ? Answer me!" Blues growled.

"Che. I refuse. I hate spoilers! Have at ya~! Flash Escape!"

A large blinding flash rang out and the guy escape to Blues' increasing anger yet Enzan frowned.

_That bodysuit design… Doesn't he remind me of someone…?_

14:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"…What do you mean by "Colonel got deleted"?"

"And ya wanna do all future missions sans a "Leader"? Aren't we a bunch of amateurs, anyway? Well: lot of things happened until we joined the "Team" but… It was pro Colonel who leaded us down the road. He made me feel relieved when I took part in the missions. But without the "Leader" things are different!"

Pride and Nenji were arguing with Barrel as he'd summoned them into their new "secret base" and both looked baffled.

"Guys, forgive me… I'm guilty of this disgrace of Colonel…"

"No. Colonel got deleted to fulfill the mission. Protecting civilians is our obligation too…" Barrel calmly replied.

"How can I apologize?" Jasmine weakly asked to Barrel.

"There's no need for apologies… Colonel was, until the very end, walking on the road he believed in…" Barrel dully countered.

Jasmine remained silent and looked sad.

"It's true that losing Colonel is a big blow. But, in the meanwhile, Nebula's scheme is advancing… There's no point on weeping right now."

"In short… We'll execute the next mission sans a "Leader"…?" Laika looked doubtful.

"No. There is one… There's a "Leader"… Ijuuin Enzan and Blues. You'll be marking off the next mission as "Leaders"…" Barrel announced.

"… Me, you say…" Enzan weakly muttered.

"I see. As qualifications, he's got the experience and the technique."

"Wait. I can't do it. I can't hope to equal Colonel in skill. We've got no qualifications to become "Leaders"…" Enzan argued back.

"Ijuuin Enzan. I'm requesting of you: I recognize you as such." Barrel wasn't surprised in the least by his reply.

"I repeat: I can't do it. I'll lead you into self-destruct. You ask the impossible." Enzan growled.

"…Think about it for just 1 day. Even if you insist that it's in vain after thinking for 1 day… Then I'll pick another "Leader"…"

"… Alright…"

"That's enough for today. Ijuuin Enzan. Be cool and think about it…"

Enzan headed out without uttering a word and the others glanced on his directions.

"But can he do it?" Laika asked.

"Just wait." Barrel merely replied.

"It's too much pressure…" Pride muttered.

"… We shall see." Dark Miyabi merely announced.

"That kid… I wonder if he'll be alright…" Nenji wondered.

"… I got in the way… I'm… going back." Jasmine told them.

"Fine." Barrel authorized.

"Colonel – dono…!" Knight Man muttered.

"That man leaded us even after we lost Blues… Will Blues be able to guide us on his stead?" Shadow Man wondered.

"W-well… Dunno…" Napalm Man trailed off.

"… I can't calculate the answer to that." Search Man replied.

"… I'm to blame, I know…" Meddy muttered.

Barrel merely kept his serious face while the other members disbanded as well: he sat down on the ground and sighed while glancing at the dragonfly hovering around the room.

"… Mr. Smith. Come on. That trick is too old. Your info is good and you ask nothing in exchange yet I don't like you stalking us 24/7…"

18:45 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Who the heck comes bother me at this hour in the afternoon?"

Enzan came out into the hall of an apartment building's floor and found Jasmine there.

"Yo~!"

"You. Jasmine. What do you want outta me?" Enzan questioned while folding his arms.

"I wanna ask a favor so I came over…" She admitted.

"Favor, you say."

"I want cha to let me in your "Team"! Cha are the "Leader" so cha can at least do that, right?" She suddenly requested.

"I'm not the "Leader" and I don't feel like carrying all responsibility on my shoulders. Being the VP to IPC is stressing enough for me…" He shot back with obvious foul mood.

"Cha! One of your important companions got done in and cha don't feel vexed at that?" She scolded.

"I am! But I told you: I can't be the "Leader"!"

"What a sissy guy! Can't you think of how that Barrel man felt like when he appointed cha to be the "Leader"?" Jasmine insisted.

"I won't reply to that." Enzan merely shrugged.

"I get it! I won't ask a favor outta cha anymore! I'll avenge Colonel by myself, see!" She snapped at him.

She ran down the stairs and Enzan slapped his forehead.

"You idiotic woman! Going alone is suicide!" He yelled.

"I am afraid that woman is being serious, Enzan – sama, sir. It would be wise to intercept them."

"Obviously!"

18:57 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh! S-sorry!"

"Wait. That's an order."

Blues made it to the Reverse Internet 1 and stumbled upon a normal Navi who was running away.

"What? I'm in a rush, ya know?"

"Have you seen a woman Navi around here?"

"Woman Navi…? Ah! That Navi! I didn't get to talk to them but I saw that they were rushing towards the depths of the area. She did look like she was in a big rush, anyway." The Navi admitted.

"As I thought… Let's bring that woman out there or Mr. Barrel will have our heads." Enzan grumbled.

"Roger."

"Wait a min! You can't seriously intend to walk on ahead, right?" The Navi gasped.

"Obviously. I've been here countless times already."

"Y-ya really do? In case you didn't know it: t's fearful! They come out up ahead!" The Navi exclaimed.

"Nebula pawns?" Blues guessed.

"I said that they come out: isn't that settling enough? Ghosts, I mean! G-h-o-s-t-s!" The Navi exclaimed next.

"Hmpf. Nebula's newest idiotic trick…" Blues was unimpressed.

"True! Ghosts in the shape of disembodied souls show up! Those guys are wandering all over the area in a whacked way: and they suddenly assault you! And if you're caught by those disembodied souls… You'll be possessed during a while. And during that time…"

"There's more?" Blues guessed.

"…If you get into Virus Battles then something turns weird. I can't speak in details. But you'll battle in a state in which you've got something weird on you somewhere… The body may not properly move… Strength consumption turns violent… You may pointlessly turn annoyed… A-anyway… That isn't anything else but a curse! …I know I rushed it but did you understand what I said?" He explained in a rush.

"I understood it."

"You understand it but you don't look like going back at all…"

"I'm not a coward." Blues insisted.

"But I did tell you what I had to tell so… I'm not to blame for whatever happens… Well then, _sayonara_~!"

"Another reason to find that woman and soon. I don't think she'll survive long in this environment." Enzan grumbled.

"Acknowledged. Mission start."

Blues rushed through the area and found few Navis save some vendors: the "ghosts" did come out but he was able to duck, dodge, roll or jump over them to avoid them and push his way deeper: the decoration combined with the color of the atmosphere helped make the whole area spookier than ever.

"… You lowlifes. Stop following me. Show up!" He challenged.

There was no reply and he continued on ahead while crouching to examine the roads from time to time until he found a ramp leading to a platform the end of which was locked with another of those energy-based doors: Meddy was standing there.

"Meddy. That's as far as you come. As an ONBA member I command you to halt." He commanded.

"As I thought! You came, Blues! Alright! Call out to the gang: let's go beat the Nebula Navi deeper inside of this area!" She rallied.

Blues didn't reply and an uncomforting silence filled the air.

"Is there any need to hesistate?" Meddy questioned.

"We've come to bring you back. Go back or I'll have Blues arrest you here and now." Enzan replied.

"How sloppy! I dunno why this kind of guy got chosen as the "Leader! Meddy! Beat that sloppy guy and let's go avenge Colonel by ourselves!"

"That's a good idea. Weak-kneeded guys need some punishment."

"Stop with the meddling idiocies!" Blues growled.

"We'll open up cha eyes!" Meddy countered.

"You lowlife think you can rival me, the ONBA's Ace Net Navi?" Blues questioned as he drew his Long Sword.

"No questions asked!" Meddy exclaimed.

"Blues! Just lower the opponent's HP."

"Roger, sir."

"Chemical Flash!"

Meddy formed two spheroids colored red and blue which spun to form a circle yet Blues sliced them up and hit Meddy with his Long Blade followed by a Wide Blade.

"Meddy Capsule!"

"Slow. Ojiouzan."

"Kyah!"

Meddy's pills hit the statuette and so a thunderbolt rained down from above: Meddy mumbled something and then focused again in the ongoing battle.

"Chemical Flash!"

"That won't work twice. Air Shot! Counter Hit! Program Advance. Giga Cannon! Double Power!" Blues announced in a sequence without slowing down at all.

"What!"

"GO~!"

The hyper-powered Giga Cannon Program Advance hit Meddy and brought her HP counter down to 1 HP and unable to continue anymore so she collapsed into the ground while Blues panted a bit from the effort he'd just done.

"Huff, huff… You've got a pretty manly face, don't you…? Can't you do it by now?" She announced.

"You'll get yourself killed." Blues told her.

"That girl pushed you up until there. If you don't admit it you'll run into trouble." A familiar voice rang out.

Search Man came in and Blues whipped around in surprise.

"And what will your answer be, Blues? You won't recognize that bravery to cross this accursed area alone? We're all going to gather and we'll discuss. The others are on their way here."

"For a normal Navi who'd normally never come into the Reverse Internet to end up coming and, above that, challenge Blues – dono to a battle… I look up to their courage!" Knight Man exclaimed as he showed up.

"…Hum… Hmpf…! Doing inefficient stuff… But it'd seem it had some effect…" Shadow Man muttered.

"I'd rather prefer to do it by brute force!" Napalm Man laughed and swung his arms.

"Not a really admirable strategy but it'd seem it had some results." Search Man muttered.

"… I see. So you guys were trying me on… Guess I pass… Jasmine, Meddy… I've woken up. I won't run away like a coward dog anymore. Yet the only road ahead is the road of battling. Go! Mission start!" Enzan sounded resolved by now.

"Acknowledged."

"Heh, heh! Now that it's already settled… Meddy! Take out that way-blocking door!" Jasmine giggled.

"Leave it up to me!"

"Wait a min, missy… Lemme handle this spot. I'll blow this thing up. Step aside for a min. I'll blow ya up! Ora~h!"

Napalm Man tried to attack the door but fared no batter than Knight Man the day before.

"…Geh! It took in my attack but there isn't a single dent even! What's going on?" He gasped.

"… Brute force won't do with that door. That door contains "anger" and "hatred" and is made of negative power… Hence why there won't be any effects when you hit with wild power just like you did. You only need one thing to open this door… A healing power neutralizes the negative power…" Shadow Man detailed.

"Healing Pulse! E~i! Roughly like that!"

Meddy projected some rings of energy towards the door and it faded out of sight: she smiled and turned around to look at them.

"Hah! My skills have healing power which relieves people's hearts!" She revealed with a blink of the right eye.

"W-wow." Napalm Man muttered.

"…"Leader" - san! I am ready! We can start the mission anytime! And I obviously plan on fighting along too!" Jasmine rallied.

"Try not to get yourself killed in the first attack. Good. Guys. We're gonna tackle the Reverse Internet 4 "Liberation Mission"… Before that… Knight Man! You remain here and report if any enemy reinforcements come this way. Alright?" Blues instructed.

"… Blues – dono… Is that a request…? Or is it an order from the "Leader"…?" Knigth Man asked.

"An order as your "Leader"…" Blues insisted.

"Then there shouldn't be a need to say "alright?" at all and instead just let that order burst out of the chest." Knight Man suggested.

"I know. Knight Man: remain here and be on the lookout for enemy reinforcements."

"I am aware: I acknowledge... I, Knight Man, staking his life, will protect this area!" He exclaimed with pride.

"Enzan – sama, sir. Once you feel ready let us start the mission…" Blues addressed Enzan.

"Alright!"

"Do excuse me. Yet I think I must warn you gentlemen."

The black and golden Navi from before caught up to them yet his voice sounded like it was being amplified somehow.

"Mr. Smith." Barrel muttered.

"I apologize for that of the dragonfly: I was doing a test run and I intended to pull it out right afterwards. Yet I was impatient to see if we'd seized any leads or not…" The Navi admitted.

"… That Navi is a walking speaker, ain't it?" Search Man asked.

"Correct. Yet I am on your side: I provide information and ask nothing in exchange. Mr. Barrel has granted me some trust."

"Alright, Mr. Smith. Do you know something else?" Enzan questioned with a hint of suspicion.

"Someone you don't expect is waiting ahead. It is for you to discover yet the moment of relief will soon be extinguished…" He warned them in a serious tone of voice.

"Fair enough. Let's go, guys!" Enzan rallied.

"YEAH!"

They rushed inside while Knight Man sighed and "Mr. Smith" chuckled in a low tone of voice as if being amused…


	14. Chapter 14: Joy and despair

**Chapter 14: Joy and despair**

19:41 PM (Japan Time), Sunday March the 19th…

"… That's…! It couldn't be!"

"What's wrong, Blues?"

The "Team" members had come inside of the Reverse Internet 4 and Blues gasped in surprise before signaling the furthest spot of the area: a purple-colored Colonel was standing in the Boss' position and looking serious: everyone else gasped in surprise too.

"Colonel! He's alive!" Blues exclaimed.

"Colonel" remained silent and seemed to stare at them with enmity: the atmosphere turned tense.

"Wait! The situation looks strange…!" Meddy pointed out.

"Colonel…?" Blues tried to call out.

"… Are you guys the Officials' pawns?" He drily questioned.

"W-what the heck? What's that guy saying?" Napalm Man was baffled by his question.

"Colonel! Don't you realize who we are?" Enzan called out.

"Given how Regal – sama saved my life I swore loyalty to him. Protecting this area is my duty." He dully replied.

"It couldn't be…!" Enzan gasped.

"No way…! They've applied him a "Darkloid" remodeling like they did to me before, then…?" Blues realized.

_And this is what "Mr. Smith" meant!_

"That's how it looks like… We must make it to the depths somewhat. We MUST recapture capture Colonel – dono yet… These "Dark Panels" numbers don't allow us to be straightforward…" Shadow Man muttered while looking around.

"Was to be expected… Even for the great me's fire-power this is like blood & bones…" Napalm Man grimly muttered.

"So this is where I come in, it'd seem." Meddy exclaimed.

"Hum… Do you have some plan?" Shadow Man asked.

"By using my "Twin Liberation"… By "Liberating" a long row of "Dark Panels" from edge to edge… You can "release" them at once!" She explained to them.

"That's a good idea… I myself don't have a strong "Liberation" ability yet… If you will assist us then we'll gain some battling potential." Shadow Man muttered.

"That strategy sounds good enough. Let's go retrieve Colonel from Nebula's hands!" Enzan rallied.

"… Roger, sir! Ahem! The targeted "Liberation" is within 10 "Phases"… Let us go!" Blues exclaimed.

"Time for the French lesson! My buddy went to the tailor's to have his cloak mended back… It is first-quality stuff ya know! Ya can't go and cut it up like it was a beggar's cloth! It's like the Lórien elf-cloaks the Fellowship of the Ring was granted!" "Demon King" laughed as he floated over "Colonel" and looked down (literally) on them.

"You lowlife…! What have you done to Colonel?" Blues growled and aimed the Long Sword at the guy.

"Maybe Mr. Smith will tell you once he does some snooping? He obviously doesn't know our HQ yet he has many ears and eyes… Heh, heh, heh. Or maybe he'll boil his brains to think of the trick?"

"Che." Enzan grumbled.

"We're making some progress, though… The first "Dark Hole" got freed and I got the first "Barrier Key"… Search Man – dono can handle the traps, right?" Shadow Man reported.

"Yeah. I've disabled some already."

"Well then… Let's wait to see Ms. Nurse in action and then we'll start the class."

"That sounded ugly!" Jasmine protested.

"You mean macho?" He giggled.

"Yeah! You ugly guy!"

"Truly. The first time someone calls me ugly." He laughed.

"Che!"

"… Our "Phase" is over…" Blues muttered.

"So! Justice Navis! Who will be the one to cleave this "Dark" and battle me?" He challenged.

"All of us!" Meddy shot back.

"Ahem, ahem! _Allons! Fini de rire! Lâche cette bouteille!_" The guy began to exclaim.

"Hum… "Enough! No more laughing! Bring over that bottle!" … What bottle are you talking about?" Blues translated.

"_Ma bouteille, sacripant! Trahison! Vengeance! Renégat! Hérétique! Esclavagiste! Technocrate!_"

"… "My bottle, you rascal! Treason! Vengeance! Renegade! Heretic! Slaver! Technocrat!" … That's some wording." Shadow Man muttered with a hint of amusement.

"_Flibustier! Végétarien! Pacte-à-quatre!_"

"… "Filibuster! Vegetarian! Four-powers-deal!" … That lost one was somewhat intriguing… Heh, heh, heh."

"… _S'il fait le méchant, j'aurai vite réglé son compte…!_…"

"… "If he's acting mischievous then I'll set him straight…!" … Who are you going to set straight?" Meddy asked.

"… _Pirate! Corsaire!_"

"… "Pirate! Corsair!" … Yeah, and?" Blues challenged.

"…. _Holà! Du calme ! Viel ivrogne_!"

"… "Hey! Calm down, you old drunkard!" … Who are you calling an "old drunkard"?" Shadow Man fumed.

"… _Arlequin! Hydrocarbure! Zoulou!_"

"… "Harlequin! Hydrocarbon! Zulu!" … That's the first time I've heard someone be called "hydrocarbon"…" Blues sounded surprised.

"But ain't "Zulu" somewhat blunt?" Enzan wondered.

"… _Canaque! Gyroscope!_"

"… "Villain! Gyroscope!" … You came up with a new insult?" Shadow Man wondered.

"… _Vengeance!_"

"… "Vengeance!" … On whom?" Blues questioned.

"… _Emplâtre! Doryphore! Noix de coco! Zouave! Cannibale!_"

"… While you talk and such we've freed a large patch of the area and we're at the last of the "Dark Holes"…" Search Man reported.

"… Hum… "Plaster! Colorado beetle! Coconut! Zouave! Cannibal!" … And "Zouave" was a French African battalion made by natives… That's another strong word." Shadow Man reported.

"… _Anthropopithèque! Iconoclaste!"_

"… "_Ape-man! Iconoclast!_"… Ape-man? I thought that word had never been used in any real fossils and was a Frenchman's idea of a "missing link" between apes and men…" Blues muttered as if he'd recalled what it meant.

"… _Paltoquet!_"

"… "_Insolent!_" … And who is that insolent one?"

"… _Anacoluthe! Invertébré! Jus de réglisse!_"

"… "Anacoluthon! Invertebrate! Liquorices!" … 1st one is a rhetorical device which implies the change of syntax within a structure… 3rd one is a plant…!" Blues began to sound skeptical.

"… _Canaille! Vampire!_ And that's all!"

"… Hum! "Villain! Vampire!" … And where did you rip that off from if we may know?"

"Hergé's _The Crab with the Golden Pincers_… Part of the _Adventures of Tintin_: works of reference throughout Western Europe!"

"Hum. And who says those words?"

"Well! Captain Haddock: an old sea wolf… But I see that you're within your buddy's attack range so brace yourselves…"

"… Eat this! Colonel Saber!"

"Grah! That was powerful!" Search Man hissed.

"The way's clear! Let's go! Meddy! You go on ahead!"

"Colonel – san! Do you know me?" Meddy asked.

"…I recall seeing you. I don't why, but seeing you… It excites my heart. It'd seem that you really are an existence which I must defeat no matter what." He drily announced.

"You're the "Leader" of "Team of Colonel" and Barrel – san's Navi!"

"…That name… Ugh… What's with this excitement in my heart! The only one to whom I swore loyalty was to Regal – sama! The "Dark Power" I received from Regal – sama… I'll test it out in your body! Come!"

"No use! He won't listen! Alright! Let's go! Meddy Capsule!"

"Hmpf. Screen Divide! Colonel Army!"

Meddy got caught between two of the soldiers and the Screen Divide so she suffered a big deal of damage in the 1st turn: she groaned but managed to make her capsules hit "Colonel" and paralyzed him: he groaned while Meddy grinned.

"Now! Gun del Sol 3! This should be effective given how I'm standing in the park and gathering sunlight! Go!"

"Gruwa~h! No… That won't be enough! Colonel Cannon!"

"Kyah! I'm almost at my limit!"

"Recovery 300! Che! The HP is too high… We won't make it on time! Let's go! Mega Energy Bomb!"

"Hah! Your little tricks are of no use!" "Colonel" proclaimed.

"Reset Bomb!"

"Grah! My power went down… But… Time's up!"

"Oh no! We failed…!" Meddy gasped.

"Don't worry! The others will take over!" Enzan relieved her.

"Is this the justice power? But that won't suffice to defeat me…" He scoffed.

"Blues! You go next! Meddy took out about one third of his HP: you can take out a lot more!" Enzan rallied.

"Go ahead and try, Ijuuin!" "Demon King" challenged.

"I've got you on my marks." Shadow Man warned.

"Mark a pack?" He joked.

"Hmpf."

"Delta Ray Edge! Bug Bomb! Magma Seed!"

"What! Guwah!"

Blues performed his best attack on "Colonel" and then tossed him the "Bug Bomb" to inflict an HP bug on him and finally tossed the "Magma Seed" to set the ground around him on magma thus worsening the HP drop rate.

"Heavy Gauge! Custom Sword!"

"Eat this!"

"What combination…! But not yet…! Ugh!"

"Oh crap." "Demon King" muttered.

"Iai Form! Variable Sword!"

Blues warped forward and attacked "Colonel" before backing up and then hitting him with the Variable Sword next.

"Another little bit…! Go, Blues! Yoyo!"

"Grargh!"

"Colonel" was brought to his knees and he collapsed out of energies while Blues panted.

"So strong…!" He muttered.

"I-impossible… Me! Me who am above you lowlifes in all…! Is this the power you call "justice" then…?" He growled.

"Che! I'm outta here!" "Demon King" grumbled.

He flew out of the zone while "Colonel" was pushed into a corner and was having trouble standing.

"Guo~h…" He grumbled.

"Colonel!" Blues called out.

"Kuh! He wasn't totally dyed by the "Dark Power" yet then!" Cosmo Man's voice rang out with obvious annoyance.

"That voice… Cosmo Man!" Blues cursed.

"Gu~h…"

"Colonel! Momentary pull-out!"

That weird spatial distortion effect which Blues had used when he'd been corrupted by Nebula happened and "Colonel" vanished from the scene: they gasped.

"Colonel!"

_We were so close…!_

"…You guys win today's battle! But you will only be immersed in the afterglow of victory for another few days! Wah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!" Cosmo Man laughed.

"Another few days…!"

The area regained its usual coloring and the "Team" gathered to discuss the results of their "mission" yet they didn't feel glad about having freed the last area ruled by Nebula.

"We couldn't retrieve Colonel – san …" Meddy sighed.

"Yeah… But at least we know he's alive. We'll definitely rescue Colonel no matter what! My word!"

"Yeah! I'll do my best too!"

"Guys. Our decisive battle with Nebula is drawing near. But we'll need to rescue Colonel before we can go settle the score with them! And the whole "Team" will fight as one! That's all! Disband!" Blues commanded while trying to sound firm.

The members departed while the Navi of "Mr. Smith" came in while looking around: he bowed in front of Blues.

"A splendid job. Mr. Knight Man and I witnessed it. Yet in the end we have not advanced besides freeing the Internet from Nebula's hands."

"Yeah. That's something. Yet we still don't know why the wanted the dog so badly." Enzan grumbled.

"I am afraid I cannot help you in there."

"If Mr. Barrel says you can be somewhat trusted then we'll take your word for the truth… But try to stay out of harm's way."

"Of course. I'm trying to consolidate my position and be able to flee the vicious world I am trapped within… Well then… Farewell."

20:04 PM (Japan Time)…

"…Hikari Yuuichirou… Guess I could say it was to be expected of you: you didn't confess at the end… However, your struggling has become meaningless by now…"

"C-can't be…!"

Dr. Regal was talking with Yuuichirou inside of the command room as Yuuichirou lied on one side in the floor with his arms and legs bend backwards and some ductile cyan restrains closed around his wrists and ankles: he was making a grimace as he looked at Regal standing over him and upon seeing his triumphant smug smile.

"…You father was a great scientist… Who'd said that he'd transformed the "Hikari Report" into the shape of a dog…? It was to be expected: even I didn't realize it…" He admitted.

"R-Regal…! Gau… What do you intend to do by using Gau?"

"To complete it, you see… To complete "Heart Network"!" He announced with an ever broader grin.

"Heart… Network… Can't be… If you do that… Then… The world…"

"True! My idealized complete evil world shall be completed!"

"I wouldn't have thought that "Heart Network" would be completed in this manner… I'm sorry… dad…" He muttered to his own.

"… Heh. Witness, Hikari Yuuichirou…! The shape of Japan being dyed by evil…!"

He turned to the console and pressed a button.

"Witness, Hikari Yuuichirou… The shape of Japan being dyed by evil… Regal… Move "Nebula Grey" to the 3rd Experiment Server… True… Set the communications speed at "MAX" and transmit into the "Mini Servers" set within Japan… I don't mind if you momentarily stop "Dark Chip" production. Yeah, true…" He told someone.

He turned around to mock Yuuichirou again with his victorious smile.

"With this the arrangements have been completed… Alright, Hikari Yuuichirou… Why don't you come along and witness the results of the experiments as well?" He invited.

"You lowlife's… ambitions… will definitely… collapse…" Yuuichirou managed to hiss.

"Heh, heh, heh… Your hope will soon change into despair, I guess… And we shall reaffirm that humans are but weak living beings! Someone! Bring over a camera: I intend to tell the whole nation about the experiment's start!" He called out.

"Yes, sir!" A man replied from a distance.

"Netto… Rock Man…!" Yuuichirou muttered.

"Someone contact those two. I have an idea." He added.

"Roger."

"Those two…? What are you going to do…?" Yuuichirou demanded.

"Ah, see. Introduce you to my two brilliant collaborators… They've handled things in the Cyber World while I was busy trying to find the "Hikari Report"… "Demon King"! "Demon Prince"! You came."

"Dr. Regal. What is the matter?"

"Easy, _aibou_. We get rum as a reward."

"… Jeez…! We're Net Navis! We can't drink rum and I ain't 13 years old yet. Stop coming up with silly mottoes which you ripped off somewhere I dunno…!"

Both cloaked villains came in and stood next to Dr. Regal while being seemingly curious at the sight of Yuuichirou.

"Net Navis…? In the real world… How's that… possible?" He asked with a gasp.

"Copy Roid. I'm sure you've heard the name before."

"Cyber City's… World fair…!"

"Bravo. We stole a few of them and made our own innovations to the system… Somewhat crude yet effective enough…" "Demon King" made a giggle.

"… You…! The short one…! That voice…!"

"Yeah, I know. Reverse of the coin yet another coin altogether."

"What have you done to Netto… and Rock Man…?"

"Don't worry… Hakase. They've become excellent assets. They've done good field jobs… Yet they're still light-years away from beating Solid Snake to sneaking…" "Demon King" giggled.

"Don't try to come up with more puns… This is serious stuff."

"Alright, you win. I'm off to dancing with the Mirkwood spiders."

"The Mirkwood spiders? You took that from _The Hobbit_, right?"

"Yessir! Maybe ya would prefer dwelling in Lake-City?"

"Scram already."

"Sure, Admiral Nelson."

"Demon King" giggled and "Demon Prince" fumed while Dr. Regal looked slightly amused.

"Excuse me, Dr. Regal. _Partner_ has some cheap humor from time to time which gets hard to control. I assume all is proceeding as scheduled?" He politely asked.

"Indeed. Your magnificent idea will be carried out yet wait until those Official dogs get here… A drama needs an audience… And just six of us won't do… Let's call over another 7… Or should I say 14? Heh, heh, heh, heh… Go prepare everything… I am going to do the nation-wide broadcast in the meanwhile." Dr. Regal told him: he was rubbing his beard and grinning.

"Acknowledged."

_Netto… Saito…! Fight…! You must fight… and defeat Regal!_


	15. Chapter 15:Experimentation

**Chapter 15: Experimentation**

20:49 PM (Japan Time), Sunday March the 19th…

"… Enzan – sama! Enzan – sama!"

"What's wrong, Blues?"

"The TV, sir! Look at the TV, sir!"

Enzan had been writing something down in a paper while sitting on his apartment's living room sofa when Blues called out to him: surprised, he turned on the TV only to be met with a creepy close-up of Dr. Regal's face as he spoke with a smug smile on his face and evil intentions on his sight as well as on his voice.

"Regal! You lowlife!" Enzan cursed.

"Look behind… Carefully, sir!"

Enzan gasped upon spotting Yuuichirou behind Regal who looked out cold and the two cloaked conspirators standing behind Yuuichirou and blocking the sight of something which seemed to be two persons sitting on their knees with their heads lowered, blindfolded and with their hands immobilized behind their backs.

"W-who are those two…? Hikari and Rock Man…? What happened to their hair colors…?" Enzan gasped.

"I am _Dr._ Regal… The one who will rule the new world…! Luckily you Japanese citizens have been chosen as guinea-pigs to test my scheme… Be relieved: there'll be no pain and no suffering at all… Rather… You'll be freed from various fetters and you'll even feel joy… Free your selves… Do as you desire… In a few minutes' time… You people will be… freed." Dr. Regal calmly announced as if he was the weather forecast man.

He made a little chuckle before the live broadcast was cut off and Enzan growled.

"That lowlife! He's on the move!" He cursed.

"What should we do, sir?"

"Let's go secure the Hikari house first. Hikari – san could be unshielded and in danger!" Enzan dediced.

"Roger."

Enzan put on his shoes and ran out of his apartment and into the streets: he quickly sprinted through them and managed to reach the Hikari house thus ringing the doorbell: Haruka opened and Enzan came in yet he didn't step past the foyer.

"Oh, Enzan – kun! I saw it… Yuuichirou – san was there…! And Netto and Saito too…! Please… I know you're going into danger so take this charm which grandpa used… I think it'll protect you…" She told him while sounding scared and handing him a charm which seemed to have a piece of metal inside of it.

"Thank you very much." Enzan thanked.

"Don't be reckless, please…"

"Please believe in me, ma'am. Let's go, Blues!"

"Yes, sir!"

Enzan came out into the street and looked around.

_Expected the unexpected…_

"… Wait a min!" A woman called out.

"You're loud! Shut up!" A man shot back.

A woman and a man came into sight while yelling at each other and looking about to start a fight.

"Hey! Cha! Return my PET to me!"

"Shut up! This is mine! To begin with: you surely stole this PET from somewhere a while ago!"

"I'm allowed to do anything I want to! Don't compare me to cha!"

"Shut up! Shut up! This is my mine by now!"

"Ki~h! Wait a min!"

"Couple quarreling or…?" Enzan wondered.

"Enzan – sama… Over there, sir…" Blues pointed out.

"Over there?" Enzan wondered.

Enzan looked at the left to see two elementary school boys who couldn't be even 10 years old yelling at each other.

"I lost any interest in cha time ago!"

"Well then! When I see your face…! A~h! I get utterly frustrated!"

"Why is everyone quarreling for no reason?" Enzan wondered.

"It does not look like something usual at all, yet… It could be Regal's idea of his experiment!" Blues suggested.

"This time he directly interacts with humans and skips the Cyber World altogether? So that's why this is happening in this otherwise calm city! We gotta avoid this from escalating!" Enzan cursed.

The PET beeped with the sound of incoming mail and Enzan snapped out of it while Blues checked it out.

"Enzan – sama, mail, sir… Yet… Odd. It has no sender's name…" Blues reported before apparently frowning under his shades and trailing off while sounding puzzled.

"What does it say?" Enzan asked.

"I shall read it… "This mail is being sent to all "Nebula Oppression Unit" members… We've got info that Nebula has set small-model servers in the Cyber World in several regions of Japan… We think that, by destroying those servers, we'll be able to halt Nebula's attack… If you close into the servers, the closer, the greater effect the human body will be receiving. To all receivers: be careful." … That is all, sir."

"Who could've sent it? They look well-informed of Nebula's strategies…"

_Somehow, it reeks…_

"But as long as they read this mail then the other members will probably go search for the other servers scattered in the various areas… Yet it could be a trap set by Nebula too!" Enzan thought aloud.

"Yet we shouldn't hesitate much, sir, because if not the damage will increase… If the mail is authentic then there could be a small-model server hidden somewhere in this very Akihara City, sir…"

"Yeah. Let's look around here firstly and try to fix the effects. Let's go find those small-model servers!"

"Acknowledged."

Enzan ran across the city and spotted a device hidden in some bushes so he took out the PET.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues entered the "Cybernetics" and spotted a small spheroid with four petal-like extensions and four orange circles on it colored white plus having a purple tip to it: the design looked like a flower's bulb with its petals spread open.

"This must be the server, sir!"

"Well then! Destroy it!"

"Roger!"

Search Man suddenly came in and stood to Blues' left who barely acknowledged his presence.

"Search Man. Good. Lend me a hand and destroy this server." He commanded.

"No… Wrong… My target is… Blues! You!" He exclaimed as he aimed the Scope Gun at him.

"Oh hell. This guy got affected by the server!" Blues realized.

"Laika! What do you intend?" Enzan called out.

"Ijuuin… I hate your strength…! Search Man: delete Blues…"

"You imbecile! You stepped into the enemy's trap!"

"Target, Blues… Lock… On…"

"Che! Coming, sir!" Blues grumbled.

"No other choice! Fight back! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Blues! Be deleted!"

"We don't wanna spend the whole evening so… Let's use the Giga Chip: Gigant Hook! Eat this!"

"That's…! Nuo~h!"

"Delta Ray Edge! Ha~h!"

"Nuo~h!"

"Given how I programmed "Delta Ray Edge" as an ability of Blues then it doesn't count towards the Giga Chip restrictions… Go, Blues! Destroy that heck of a thing already!" Enzan muttered before commanding Blues on: Search Man had to leave given the attainted damage.

Blues hit the server four times and blew it up: both of them sighed in relief and Blues lowered the sword.

"Destruction confirmed, sir!"

"Uh-unh…"

"So?" Enzan asked.

"Ijuuin… What was I…?" Laika groaned.

"Looks like you've snapped outta it. And there I thought this would end up badly. How's Search Man?" Enzan asked after grumbling.

"Search Man's alright… Seems we've caused some trouble, even… All of sudden… I began to feel like a pitch-black emotion was building up… I suddenly blacked out… Regarding what I did… Sorry." Laika admitted while letting out a groan.

"No need to. You fell into this trap. Enough chit-chat! Let's go, Blues! Now that the server got destroyed then Akihara City should be alright! Let's go to Mr. Barrel's place and prepare a new strategy!"

Enzan ran off into Higureya where he found Barrel clutching his forehead and looking like he had a headache.

"Ugh…"

"Oi! Are you alright, Mr. Barrel?" Enzan asked him.

"A-am alright… Besides that… Investigate if there are any more victims popping out in other areas…" He grumbled.

"Roger. By the way! That mail of before: did you send it?" Enzan asked for confirmation.

"Mail…? What's that about?" He groaned.

"Like I thought, that mail… Ah! No time to sit idle: let's go check the other regions! Let's go, Blues!" Enzan decided.

"Roger, sir!"

Enzan ran out and rode into the metro to step down into End City where chaos was going on: he rushed past the city and quickly climbed up to the rooftop to access the server.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues had not much trouble to make his way through the already familiar server and ended up locating the small-model server.

"Here it is, sir!"

"Use Delta Ray Edge!"

"Roger. Huh? This server…?" He seemed to spot something odd with it.

"Hold it!"

Shadow Man came in and Blues looked at him with obvious mistrust and lack of confidence.

"Shadow Man!"

"I think that even Shadow Man got influenced by Nebula's tricks…" Enzan grumbled.

"Blues. Stand along me here…"

"I dunno what you mean but the pose is obvious. There's no other way around!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Chance!"

"Che!"

"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan, Neo Variable! Go!"

"Hum! Shadow Clone!"

Shadow Man formed his "clones" yet Blues saw through them and inflicted heavy damage to Shadow Man who didn't even flinch to begin with: Blues grumbled and attacked again with his single Long Sword yet Shadow Man vanished and tossed him three _shuriken_ in a row which Blues barely blocked by bringing up his shield.

"Blues! Cool it down! Focus!"

"Roger, Enzan – sama!"

"Ocean Seed! Mega Energy Bomb! Guardian!"

Blues turned the terrain into ocean, tossed the Mega Energy Bomb at Shadow Man and when he tried to strike back he hit the Guardian statuette thus bringing down a thunderbolt the power of which was doubled by the terrain: Shadow Man had to stop fighting yet he remained on his feet while panting: Blues also looked tired by the rush of the effort and none moved for some seconds.

"Hmpf. Got defeated, huh…"

"Shadow Man…?"

Shadow Man suddenly gasped, and, whipping around in a blur, struck the server and blew it up.

"I knew it… You were straight from the start! You've tricked us! And you'd already halted the server! So why go through that trouble?" Blues growled while obviously finding the whole thing to be over the edge.

"Hmpf… I just happened to be in the mood to have a serious showdown with you…"

"Well. I guess that what places me in the united front with you is my lone _shinobi_ persona… Being defeated in battle is a shame, yet… It'd seem I must recognize your true strength…" Dark Miyabi muttered while using his old-fashioned wording.

"What the… You're weird, Miyabi." Enzan complained without bothering to concel his annoyance.

Shadow Man made no comments while Blues kept on looking annoyed at the set-up he'd gone through: he did seem to think that his Operator tended to be odd in behavior given how he was rolling his eyes.

"As soon as this affair is solved I might as well seclude myself in the mountains… Hmpf! Let's go, Shadow Man!" Dark Miyabi muttered before issuing an order.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good work. Come back."

"Roger!"

"Let's go check the _SS Queen Checko_ next… I suspected Rokushakudama is already there because he uses to give out a helping hand there." Enzan decided.

"Acknowledged."

Enzan ran down the rooftop and into the street: he was in a rush so he didn't spot Kanou Shade standing next to a stand and hiding behind his usual daily newspapers while humming a tune.

_This piece of metal I carry on me shields me from those small-model servers… Heh, heh, heh. Amusing, truly. _

21:23 PM (Japan Time)…

"…Yo, Ijuuin! Ya came to search for Nebula's set server, I take it? That server happens to be inside of this Net Battling machine!"

"Well then, I'll go smash it!"

Enzan had come into the deck of the ship and found Nenji standing next to the Net Battling machine installed there.

"By the way… I was about to fight you here the other day!"

"We're not in a situation to chat, Rokushakudama!"

"I couldn't battle ya here back then…" He trailed off.

"Oi! Rokushakudama!"

"Why don't we do a battle free of charge while we're here? I can't queel this impulse to battle! I wanna battle anyone right now! Ijuuin! Have a showdown with me and… Napalm Man!" He exclaimed.

"… Oh heck! If I don't beat these two then I won't even be able to Plug – In!" He grumbled and slapped his forehead in defeat.

"Heh, heh, heh… It'd seem like ya got in the mood! I'm gonna beat ya up!"

"Let's go, Blues! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Gonna blow ya up!" Napalm Man exclaimed.

"That won't happen. Battle Chip, Z – Saber! Blizzard Man SP!"

"What! Mwra~rgh! So strong! Vulcan Arm!" Napalm Man exclaimed.

"Ryuusei Gun! Ojiouzan!"

"Oh crap! Dodge, gotta dodge… Eat this! Napalm Bomb!" Napalm Man tried to counter but hit the statuette.

"Gothca."

"Oh heck! Nuwo~h!"

"Mu, mu, mu~h! Ijuuin… You lowlife…! You dare to do this…!" Nenji growled.

"… Oh heck! This looks rather dire….! Blues! Plug – In! Destroy the server ASAP!" Enzan gasped and looked nervous.

"Acknowledged!"

"Plug – In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues immediately spotted the server and drew his Long Sword.

"There it is! Enzan – sama! I found the server, sir!"

"Hurry it up! Blow it up ASAP!"

"Hey! Wait! Ijuuin! This time we go for a brawl showdown!" Nenji exclaimed.

"Bloody hell!" Enzan cursed.

Sounds of a scuffle rang out and Blues gasped.

"No one hurts Enzan – sama in my presence! Eat this, Nebula's bloody dog!" He yelled as he slashed the machine.

It blew up and Blues looked up at the holographic screen displaying the air: Enzan showed up there while having an ugly bruise over his right eye which he was rubbing.

"Enzan – sama, sir! Are you alright, sir?"

"S-somehow…!"

"Huff, huff…Huh? Why am I raising my fists? Yoo! Ain't this Ijuuin? Why are you here, anyway?" Nenji asked.

"Jeez. Dive into the ocean and snap outta it. You'd do all of us a favor, really!" Enzan snapped at him.

"Well then… I can't really remember… Oh! That's right! The server thing which Nebula set up…!" Nenji gasped.

"Slow. Already blew it up."

"Wha! When did ya…?" Nenji was baffled.

"JEEZ! Blues! Come back!" Enzan was out of patience by now.

"Your will…"

Enzan ran off while Nenji tried to get a hold of what had happened and headed for the Science Labs the lobby of which was a mess.

"MEIJI~N! I'M GONNA BEAT YA TO RHYMES A BILLION TIMES!"

"OOKUDA~! I'M GONNA HAVE FOOT MAN RUN OVER YA A TRILLION TIMES!"

"What chaos. Let's fix this already!"

Enzan rushed to one of the computer terminals for public use next to the clerk desk and drew the PET.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues came in and found Knight Man there.

"Blues…!"

"Step asides, Knight Man!"

"I can't do that…! If you want to destroy this server then you must stand with me!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"What in the… Aren't we companions?"

"I now am not the "teammate" Knight Man! A lone knight seeking battle…! Thou must be thirsting for a battle! Thou will surely quell the knight's soul! Let's go!" He announced.

"Coming, Enzan – sama!"

"Che! What a headache! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Knight Man, to the battle!"

"Beware, Blues! You're weak to his type of attacks!"

"I know, sir!"

"Now! Justice One!"

A large fist travelled up and down the fifth column as Knight Man shot his Royal Wrecking Ball at the ceiling: Knight Man growled and then shot his attack forward yet Blues dodged in time.

"Napalm Man SP! Eat Napalm Bomb!"

"Nuo~h!"

"Smash that idiotic server!" Enzan commanded once Knight Man had been defeated.

"Roger!"

Blues quickly sliced it up and destroyed it.

"Destruction completed, sir!"

"Ah! Princess!"

"Ijuuin… Huh… Why are you here?" She sounded like she had a headache.

"Are you alright?" Enzan inquired.

"Yeah, I got a mail telling me to come destroy a server set by Nebula and so I came here but I got struck by dizziness all of a sudden… I've just woken up…" She admitted.

"Well! It's alright by now. We've destroyed Nebula's set server."

"As expected…" She didn't find it surprising.

"Princess! Is Knight Man alright?" Blues called out.

"Ah! What's wrong with those wounds? Could something have happened to Knight Man?" She gasped.

"W-well… That's… Hum! Blues! Let's head for the next one!" Enzan tried to sneak outta it.

"Yes, sir."

The PET's auto-phone sound rang out.

"The auto-phone, sir! Connecting…"

"Hello? Hello?" Enzan asked.

"… Barrel… It'd seem you've been able to destroy all servers set by Nebula… I've done a short-accounted check on the areas with victims but it'd seem that, for now, they've subsided…" He reported.

"Phew. We did it somehow!" Enzan sighed in relief.

"Don't feel relieved. The main problem starts now." He warned.

"Huh? The main problem?" Enzan asked.

"True. Nebula has been using the servers set in various places to transmit evil emotions into human hearts. It'd seem they emitted some kind of EM wave… And we've realized that the source of the transmission is located deep within the Reverse Internet…" He detailed.

"The Reverse Internet, huh. Gotcha. I'll go."

"…Ijuuin Enzan. There was a signature similar to Colonel's located near the EM wave's transmission source… The current Colonel is but a Nebula Navi by now… Were you to end up battling him then… Promptly delete them."

"Mr. Barrel…! If we find Colonel then we'll catch him with a tight leash and bring him along…" Enzan offered.

"…Heh. I appreciate your feeling but now destroying the EM wave's transmission source set in the Reverse Internet is the furthest priority: get it?" Barrel reminded him.

"… Roger. I'll ring up once we're done. Later. Good. Blues. Let's go to the Reverse Internet: the shortest route is through End Area so we gotta rush to End City." Enzan commanded.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Meijin spilled his _cappuccino_!"

"Ookuda! It was you, right?"

"Crap. I foresee a fight." Enzan grimly muttered.

21:55 PM (Japan Time)…

"… EM wave emitting device located…"

"Good! Let's destroy it ASAP!"

Blues spotted a larger machine than the others in the spot where "Colonel" had been at some hours ago when the "Liberation Mission" time: it created energy and had a glass dome allowing one to see purplish energy inside of its body.

"Roger!"

Blues tried to attack it yet his attacks inflicted no damage.

"N-no good! My Delta Ray Edge didn't connect at all!"

"Try again! Don't give up!"

"It'd seem a mouse came and slipped by…" A voice boomed out.

"T-that voice…!" Blues gasped.

The distortion of space happened and "Colonel" appeared there while looking bored.

"Colonel!"

"I don't know where you got a hold of the info about this server but it was a fool's errand…" "Colonel" announced.

"Fool's errand…?"

"True. The earlier experiment letus gather more than sufficient data. The experiment's been completed. This server now is… a doorstop!" He exclaimed as he hit the machine and managed to destroy it.

"Even though the Delta Ray Edge had no effect at all…!" Blues gasped

"This is the "Dark Power"… You haven't thought of getting "Dark Power" too?" He taunted.

"Do you believe I'd think of that? Wake up, Colonel! And go back to Mr. Barrel's place!" Blues pleaded.

"Barrel…? Don't know! My place to go back to is to Regal – sama's side."

"Colonel! I'll drag you along no matter what!"

"… What can that power of yours do, anyway? Hmpf!"

He simply used his hand to push Blues into the ground yet the blow was hard and Blues groaned.

"Ugh!"

"Weak. Thinking of rebelling against me with such poor power… I'll deliver you the final blow!" He announced as he lifted his sword.

"Healing Pulse!"

"Guo~h!"

"T-this technique…! Meddy!"

Meddy rushed in while "Colonel" was paralyzed by the attack.

"Blues! Can you stand up?"

"Of course! Why are you here, though?" Blues asked of her.

"To save the "Dark Power" ruled body of Mr. Colonel… Ms. Meddy's ability is needed, you see." A familiar voice rang out.

"Oh. That guy?"

The Navi of "Mr. Smith" came in at that moment while having a Long Blade drawn on the right forearm.

"Having taken in the self-destruct attack of the "Darkloid", the wounded Mr. Colonel was brought to Nebula's HQ… They repaired the damaged spots with "Dark Power"… And the "Dark Power" which got inside through the wounds' openings took over Mr. Colonel's body bit by bit…"

"Y-you lowlife… Who are you?" "Colonel" demanded.

"Kanou Shade. Now free from the wickedness and cruelness of "Night" itself… And now being able to live under the "Sun"…" He calmly announced with a hint of pride.

"Kanou Shade…?"

"You gentlemen. Listen carefully. Ms. Meddy's power is being used to decompose the "Dark Power" ruling Mr. Colonel…" He warned them after clearing his throat.

"Then we can save Colonel!" Enzan exclaimed.

"It won't go so easily. The "Dark Power" has bit into important data like personality and memories… Like this the "Dark Power" will be destroyed alongside that critical data… If that were to happen, even if we recovred Mr. Colonel's body, it'd be but a shell…" Kanou Shade detailed in an analytical tone of voice.

"Hell! Then what can we do?"

"Alright. You gentlemen. Move as I say."

He whispered something and both nodded in understanding.

"… Get it?" He asked.

"Yes, sir!"

"Yeah!"

"Start strategy!"

"Healing Pulse: full power!" Meddy exclaimed.

"Guwa~h!"

"The "Dark Power" has separated off Mr. Colonel! Now! Mr. Blues! Attack!" Kanou Shade rallied.

"COLONE~L!"

Blues dashed forward in a blur and quickly sliced the "Dark Power" material form into bits and bytes.

"Phew! We did it! Meddy: the medical treatment, now!" Blues commanded next.

"Roger! On the double!"

22:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"…What… have I…? Where is this…?"

"Colonel! Colonel!"

"This voice…!"

"I've applied all the medical treatment I can so I think that the bodily wounds should be alright by now…"

"What's left is the heart's part…"

"Colonel! Wake up!"

"… Blues."

Colonel finally opened his eyes and looked around while checking that he had been laid face-up on the floor of the area.

"Colonel! You've awoken!"

"Huh… I've… heard it…! Your… voice…! Talking to my soul… your voice was…!" He muttered.

"Yeah. I believed in you. That you'd come back no matter what. Let's go back, Colonel. To Mr. Barrel's place…" Blues told him.

"Yeah…"

"Kanou Shade. You have our gratitude because thanks to you we've saved Colonel. Why don't you join our "Team"?" Blues offered.

"I would like to yet I would prefer not to make myself public… I need to maintain an illusion for the time being… Yet I believe you gentlemen will suffice to strike hard at Nebula… Well then… I hope we meet again…" He politely declined.

"Kanou Shade, huh. Intriguing man. I'd like to see his face once…" Blues muttered with a hint of curiosity once he'd left.

"Well then, should we Plug-Out too? We've got a heavily wounded patient here to handle…" Meddy reminded him.

22:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"…I think that everyone knows it by now but Colonel has returned… And with this all members of our "Team" have been gathered."

"Well then! Let's go smash Nebula's home base ASAP then!"

Barrel had summoned all of the "Team" members to relay the good news to them: he looked somewhat weary and like he hadn't had a chance to properly rest: Nenji looked cocky and animated.

"We can't strike if we don't know where the enemy's home base is at, you know." Pride reminded him.

"No. We've got a pretty much educated guess regainrd Nebula's home base…"

"Is that true?" Pride gasped.

"Yeah. There's a place in Colonel's access logs which I believe it to be the Nebula base…" Barrel admitted.

"Well! We can go anytime, then!" Nenji grinned.

"So? How is it? What's Colonel's status?" Dark Miyabi asked.

"His consciousness is clear. I guess he'll be totally healed by tomorrow's morning." Barrel replied.

"I'm glad…" Jasmine sounded relieved.

"So we must wait for Colonel's healing before we can pay a visit to Nebula's home base. We can't go sans the "Leader"!"

"Mr. Barrel. I know it's a pointless question yet are we going to Nebula's home base as well?" Laika asked.

"If you're scared then you're free to decline…" Barrel invited with a shrug of shoulders.

"Hmpf. Good. Let's settle that right now. Nothing will keep me from going not even the worst of Sharo's blizzards. Let them throw anything they want at us." Laika calmly announced.

"Heh. Well then let's gather tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock in the park in front of Higureya… I'll tell you before hand: those who don't want to take part can decline. You've all fought enough until now. But this might become a life-staking battle, even… I won't complain even if you don't come. That's all… Disband!" He arranged.

Enzan came outside and brought a hand to his chin.

"Tomorrow, sir… Should we go rest, sir?"

"Yeah. Let's go check on Hikari – san."

He headed over to the Hikari house and Haruka opened the door before he'd even rung the bell.

"Ma'am. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, somehow. See, when I was organizing Grandpa's desk, I found this… I don't really understand it so I thought that maybe you would understand it…" She suddenly told him as she handed him an old-model "Data Disk" with a smile.

"Thank you very much. Blues. Decode it."

"Roger… "Internet, Science Labs, 3, center, walk 27 straight ahead… Turn and walk 4 and also turn and walk 4… Check place… Hikari Data, reaction…" … This is what is written in the text data."

"Hikari Tadashi – hakase's memo…? Maybe it could be helpful…"

"Enzan – kun." Haruka called out.

"We go out tomorrow morning… And I'll bring them back no matter what, ma'am." He promised.

"Yes… I believe in you, Enzan – kun." She smiled at him.

"Might I borrow this for further study?"

Haruka merely nodded and Enzan bowed before going out.

"… Grandpa. Please help him protect Netto and Saito…" She muttered to her own.

22:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… This is the place described in the "Data Disk"…"

"If I could bet I'd say another "Past Vision"…"

Blues had reached the spot indicated and was looking around when his chest emblem suddenly flashed.

"Wha!" Blues gasped.

"What's wrong, Blues?" Enzan asked.

"Something on me is resonating…" He admitted.

"Maybe… When Rock Man achieved "Soul Unison" with you after the "Red Sun Tournament" some of his data got synched with yours and that's why it's reacting?" Enzan tried to guess.

A door leading to a "Past Vision" came up and Blues gasped.

"Whoa! A "Past Vision" entrance…"

"So that data resonated…" Enzan muttered.

"I shall go, sir."

"Go."

Blues stepped into what looked like a lab in the Science Labs a long time ago given the primitive-looking computers and equipment: two men were talking there.

The one facing the north looked on his 30s with black slightly spiky hair bent backwards, thick eyebrows and a slight Poirot – like moustache plus brown irises.

He wore a simple white jumper with purple neck and bands having grey sleeves and a pair of pants of the same colors apart from shoes and having reading glasses on.

The second one, facing south, had brown chestnut hair and was slightly shorter in height: his eyes' irises were brown too and he had no beard.

He wore a simple combination of clothes like his colleague: a jumper with dull brown neck and edges yet mainly colored white and a pair of white pants alongside shoes.

"How is it, Blues?"

"Someone is here, sir…" He whispered.

"The basic theory of "Heart Network" is complete…" The northern man announced.

"The plans for the "Heart Server" are also complete…" The southern man admitted.

"If our cooperative two-man research… "Heart Network"… is completed… It'll create a world in which there'll be understanding between people across the world and no conflicts…" The northern man sounded like he was envisioning the future.

"However… To achieve that… There's one big issue which MUST be overcome…" The southern man reminded him.

"True… What we can do is up to this point. For this research to be completed, should we pass it onto the next generation?"

"True… Our sons will surely end up completing this research, I guess."

"Yeah. Surely… I'll grant my theory as the "Hikari Report" to Yuuichirou…"

"I'll pass the plans to Regal… However… Thus today's the last day in which we'll research here, huh…? I'm feeling a bit lonely, even."

"Hah, hah, hah. What an atypical motto coming from you, Wily."

"Heh, heh, heh… Well, you could say so… Transforming people's hearts into data and using the "Heart Server" to link each person's heart…When you told me that you wanted to build a "Heart Network" I was genuinely surprised… Being able to brilliantly complete the Network theory … It was to be expected of you, Hikari."

"My theory was firstly completed when you brought in your robotics technology, anyway…" Hikari Tadashi admitted.

"Wily – hakase. Wily – hakase. A visitor, sir. Please come to the 1st Conference Room…" Someone called out through a speaker.

"I'm being called. Well then, should I go? Later, Hikari."

"Yeah."

"…"Heart Network"… It'd be good if a world in which it comes to be comes yet… "Heart Network" is a double-edged blade… However, I must consider the worse-case situation as well…" Wily muttered on his way out.

"That was… A younger Wily! And that young man inside has to be Hikari Tadashi – hakase…" Blues gasped.

"The scientist mentioned by Mr. Barrel who carried out the cooperative research with Hikari Tadashi – hakase was Wily! And now we've found out that Regal is Wily's son…! Well. Regal did hint that in there, on the ANXA rooftop, before jumping down… But now it's confirmed."

"He mentioned the "Hikari Report"… And Regal surely was given custody of the plans of the "Heart Server"…!" Blues realized.

"And the reason Regal was after the "Hikari Report" is because he wants to use that research… To use "Heart Network"…! But their intention was to link people's hearts to achieve a world in which all humanity could come to an understanding: that's what "Heart Network" is! So what is Regal aiming at with that project?" Enzan frowned.

"I'll try to listen if he mentions something important which could be useful, sir…" Blues invited.

"Go ahead."

Blues took a step forward and tried to call out for Tadashi.

"Excuse me…"

"…"Heart Network"… Surely our sons will be able to use it to create a pratical world… I'm counting on you, sons. Well, should I go too?"

Tadashi came out of the room too and Blues was left alone inside of it: Blues sighed.

"He's left, sir…"

"Regal… He intends to stain the wish of Hikari Tadashi – hakase with malice… Plug – Out, Blues. We've seen enough and we must rest for the decisive battle tomorrow morning…" Enzan commanded.

"Roger, sir…"

He came out yet he didn't spot Kanou Shade's Net Navi who had been hiding close by: a low chuckle sound rang out yet Blues was already too far to be able to listen to it.

"So that's how it is… That's what Dr. Regal is aiming at… And I'm starting to link the dots together… Well. Better Dr. Regal than "IQ" because if they got their hands on that machine then the world would be doomed even further than it may be doomed by Dr. Regal…"

"Found ya…"

"Ah… "Demon King"… And "Demon Prince"… Intriguing."

Both of the cloaked villains had showed up there and cornered the Navi yet only an amused chuckle rang out of him.

"What's your role in this?" "Demon Prince" questioned.

"I would rather aid the children of the future."

"That sounds old-fashioned. Are ya from the 70s or what?"

"No, no. The 80s… Anyway… I have a hunch of you gentlemen's identities so I will keep it to myself… Heh, heh, heh. It was worth it and yet you should be wary of the temptation and lust the "Secret Empire" has… It'll collapse into little feuds which will fight each other… _Good luck_."

The Navi fled while both villains apparently shrugged their shoulders and then either giggled or chuckled.

"Come! "Team of Colonel"! And be met with your end!"

"Brought forth by End Man, He Who Rules End City From The Shadows."

"Oh come on! Stop with the trolls, _partner_! Jeez. What a guy!"


	16. Chapter 16: Death clash atop Mt Fuji

**Chapter 16: Death clash atop Mt. Fuji!**

09:08 AM (Japan Time), Monday March the 20th…

"… Good morning, Enzan – sama, sir. Today is the decisive battle, sir. Do you feel like you have slept enough, sir?"

"Yeah. Totally. I'm burning. Let's go to the rendezvous point. If memory serves, it was in front of Higureya, right?"

Enzan climbed out of his bed and quickly washed his face while he picked his usual set of clothes and changed onto them: he ate just two slices of bread with marmalade and picked the PET.

"Indeed, sir. Should we notify anyone, though?"

"No need… Hikari – san knows what I'm going to do."

"Your will."

"Hikari, Rock Man… I'll bring you guys back. No matter what. Nothing will stop me." Enzan muttered.

He closed the door on his way out and locked it before he rushed down the stairs and then into the street where he sprinted until he reached Higureya: all "Team" members had gathered so Enzan headed over to Laika who merely lifted the right eyebrow.

"Oh? You don't seem to be nervous. Don't lower your guard too much."

"Heh, heh, heh… Make a good manly face…" Dark Miyabi muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Meddy's in top form today! I'll do my best at full power!"

"C-crap! I'm still feeling nervous! But… There's no going back! Wossha~h!"

"The battle with Nebula ends today as well!" Pride announced.

"You came." Barrel merely greeted.

"Yeah. Let's crush Regal and save his victims! By the way! Where's Nebula's home base at?" Enzan asked with a grin.

"In Japan's tallest spot…" Barrel teased.

"You gotta be kidding me. Mt. Fuji, you mean to say?" Enzan realized while letting out a groan.

"I ain't kidding. With an elevation of 3,777 meters over sea level, it is Japan's tallest mountain. Nebula's home base is located on its crater…"

"And how are we gonna go all the way there? You can't pretend for us to go mountain-climbing."

"It's obvious that we won't be mountain-climbing… We'll be using a chopper the Officials arranged for…" Barrel relieved him.

"I see. You already arranged everything. Let's go."

"Yeah…"

A chopper's silhouette appeared above them and a rope ladder was thrown out for them to climb in: everyone except for Barrel and Enzan climbed into the chopper.

"Let's ride in too."

"… Hum Ijuuin Enzan. You've got company. I'll go ahead. Try to keep it brief…"

Dekao, Meiru and Yaito rushed into the park and Enzan didn't look surprised at seeing them there.

"You guys."

"Enzan! Not telling us that you were going… That's aloof, ain't it?" Dekao snapped at him.

"I know that we really can't lend you power but… Don't make us worry about cha!" Yaito protested.

"Enzan – kun, you GOTTA come back alright." Meiru requested.

"… Hmpf… Obviously. And I'll bring your Navis too or Hikari would never forgive me. Wait for a while. Alright. Take-off time…" Enzan turned around.

"Enzan – kun! Come… Come back alright no matter what!"

"Counting on cha…" Yaito made a smug smile.

"Once you and Netto come back then let's Net Battle!"

"Alright, alright. I'm going." He shrugged his shoulders as he walked over to Barrel.

"You done?" Barrel merely asked.

"Yeah. Sorry for the hold-up. Let's go! Take-off!"

Barrel nodded and climbed up the rope ladder followed by Enzan who picked it up and rolled it inside of the cabin before closing the sliding door and sitting on his seat: he plucked the seat-belt and the chopper began to further from Akihara City.

"Enzan – kun…" Meiru muttered.

"Hmmm…"

"What's wrong, Barrel?"

Barrel was looking at some pendants with a piece of raw ore on them which he'd taken out of his coat's right pocket and was now holding on his open right hand: Dark Miyabi sitting at his right looked intrigued and was glancing at them.

"Before you guys came… Kanou Shade dropped by."

"What!" Enzan gasped.

"Mid-20s, meter and eighty, brownish hair, blue irises, no moustache or beard, sports gray raincoat, sunglasses and old-fashioned hat over business suit… He told me he'd made these at Oran Island because he felt like we'd be in need of them yet he didn't elucidate what good they do: while I was trying to check the density of the metal the guy slipped by and vanished…" Barrel explained.

"Odd man… Yet… They look like this charm I'm wearing…"

"Maybe he's just superstitious." Jasmine suggested.

12:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Stand-by position over Mt. Fuji's crater… Take out the rope ladder and climb down! We'll go refuel to the closest station and be back in 45 minutes..."

"Fair enough. But we'll take more than that so just stay grounded and ready to take-off anytime…"

The chopper was hovering a few meters over a patch of dry magma close to dimmed magma veins which were but a part of the Mt. Fuji crater: the panorama looked desolate enough given that the only sounds were the wind, the chopper and some mechanical muttering.

"Almost like Mordor…" Pride muttered.

"Climb down!" Barrel commanded.

They climbed down and formed below the chopper which immediately left westwards: they all glanced at the impossible mole of the Nebula home base, a metallic construction with tall AAC gun turrets set around it and with the Nebula logo painted above the front door: the building was easily tens of meters tall and had a very industrial-like appearance to it plus several pipes apparently sucking up magma.

"Here's the home base of the "Dark Chip Syndicate Nebula"…" Barrel announced without any dramatics.

"Mr. Barrel! We've come this far so let's get inside ASAP! Let's settle the score right away! I'll handle the first spear!" Nenji exclaimed.

"You bothersome fool…" Dark Miyabi drily told him.

"What did ya say, Miyabi! What did ya tell me?"

"This is the enemy's home base. By busting into there in a reckless manner… Even by doing your best… Chances are that you could be killed, even… Leave this spot to me… Barrel. I'll go on ahead and check on the status." Dark Miyabi announced.

"Gotcha. But you mustn't lower the guard. "

"Acknowledged. I'll contact you whenever I find anything…"

"Miyabi! Good luck."

"Hmpf. It's useless to worry."

Dark Miyabi walked away while the group sat down on the ground and kept on looking at the building: they spotted him checking the front entrance and discarding it to then turn around its perimeter and vanishing from their sight.

"Man. I'd never thought someone could build such a huge thing atop Mt. Fuji of all places. And I thought it was nice and white!" Nenji muttered with obvious surprise.

"It has undergone recent volcanic activity and most of it has had be to cut off… In the event of an eruption there are several layers of trenches which are hoped to be able to slow magma down… Of course it depends on the temperature of this magma too…" Barrel drily announced.

"How lovely." Nenji grumbled.

"The more I look at it the more it reminds me of Mordor and Mount Doom… A desolate land ravaged by magma and ash… And the center of evil, the Dark Tower…" Pride muttered.

"Yikes." Jasmine gasped.

"Oi. Be quiet." Laika scolded.

Barrel's PET rang and he checked it while everyone looked on his direction yet he pretended not to notice.

"… Barrel… Miyabi…? Yeah… Gotcha. Through the reverse entrance, then…? What's wrong, Miyabi! Answer me! Miyabi!" Barrel began listing aloud before the line seemingly got cut off.

"What the heck happened to that punk, Mr. Barrel?" Enzan asked without sounding worried or surprised.

"Dunno. The line suddenly went dead." He admitted while grumbling aloud.

"That silly guy! He was surely thinking of himself and playing cool! I don't wanna wait here anymore! Let's go, "Leader"! " Nenji leapt to his feet.

"Our goal is the reverse entrance… Let's go!"

The group walked until they stopped close to the stairs climbing to the reverse entrance and near one of the gigantic pipes: Barrel seemed to be trying to discern anything odd with the area.

"A terrific atmosphere lingers around… But since we've come all this way then we have to battle at full power!" Pride muttered.

"U~h… I feel SO nervous…!" Jasmine confessed.

"This is Nebula's hideout, huh… It's so big… Well! I can break up all the stuff I want without any danger!" Nenji looked cocky.

"This is the enemy's home base: you can't lower the guard… But it's too quiet…"

"It'd seem there's a reverse entrance up ahead… Let's go!"

The group made a row and Barrel took lead: they came into the building and entered a corridor with brown metallic walls and blue ground: Barrel made signs for them to wait and peered around the corner before returning to their position.

"Two doors…" He muttered.

"How was it like? Mr. Barrel."

"Up ahead there's the front entrance and two doors to proceed on forward… Listen. We're gonna split into two groups, enter each one's door, and walk on ahead… If you find Regal contact each other ASAP! Get it?" He instructed.

"Well. Should I and Mr. Barrel go on ahead? The "Golden Combination"?"

"No, Ijuuin and I will be going separate paths. Ijuuin, Pride, Rokushakudama and Laika… You guys: check out the closest door. You will be able to strike the enemy from the front there… I believe that you guys and your power will make it through somehow."

"W-what should I do…?" Jasmine timidly asked.

"… Jasmine. You come with me. I need the ability to destroy "Dark Power"…" Barrel commanded.

"Y-yes, sir!" Jasmine gasped.

"Guys! If you feel in danger then retreat ASAP and don't anything reckless no matter what. And, Ijuuin Enzan… I'll be handing this to you: if it's you then you'll use it properly."

Enzan accepted a Giga Chip branded "Cross Divide C" which he placed inside of his Battle Chip pouch.

"Thanks, Mr. Barrel. I'll make wise use of this. Be careful." Enzan nodded in agreement.

"You guys too. Let's go, Jasmine!"

"Gotcha!"

Barrel and Jasmine turned the corner into a wider hall which had three doors: the southern one was the main one, the western one was their goal and a northern one: a monitor was built on the wall close to the northern door and the right corner had the yellow letters "Level 1" written into it close to the ground: they both opened the door and shut it behind them while the other group looked around.

"Don't lower the guard…" Laika muttered.

"Let's go, Ijuuin!" Pride rallied.

"Heh, heh, heh… My arms are ringing!" Nenji rallied.

Enzan nodded in agreement and the group crossed the doors only to witness a gigantic factory split into several levels and having metallic catwalks and stairs allowing for people to transit across it: a machine generated a purple sparkling dust which was then compressed into a mass and then inserted into Battle Chips: there was little doubt as to what they were producing here.

"T-this is…!" Enzan gasped.

"… A "Dark Chip" production factory…!"

"Who'd said that they were being produced here of all places?"

"Well then! Ijuuin! Let's hurry go on ahead! Once we beat Regal we can blow this dangerous factory up!" Nenji rallied.

"Good. Follow me!"

They stopped nearby a machine and examined how the raw dust was turned into square core components which then dropped into another level's conveyor belt.

"So! Here's where the "Dark Chips" are produced at? I'm gonna wreck this factory up!" Nenji muttered.

"You're not going to tell me that you've gotten cold feet, are you? Let's go on ahead…" Laika told him.

"Alright then! Let's go!"

They continued on ahead and spotted two large computer terminals set parallel to each other and having three red cylindrical thick lasers forming a barrier blocking the path: Pride and Enzan studied them.

"It'd seem that we can only go through this route. Yet… To do that… It'd seem that we must disable these EM barriers…"

"So! Princess Pride! How do we disable these EM barriers?"

"If we Plug – In into these control panels and stop the administration system inside of them, that would do it or so I think…"

"Princess. It'd seem we can Plug – In from here too." Enzan reported with some slight surprise.

"It'd seem that this Cyber World needs 2 Navis to be sent in order to continue on ahead." Pride announced.

"Alright! Leave this to me and…!" Nenji got cut off.

"I'm sorry: but why don't you let me handle this?" She asked of Nenji while turning around.

"What!" He uttered.

"This is the enemy's home base. We can't know what'll happen. It's a good idea to let Knight Man, with his high defensive strength, to go in. Is that alright?" Pride suggested.

"U-ugh…"

"No problem. Even the impatient Rokushakudama got told to shut his big trap." Laika grinned.

"Well then, I'll handle the other end and…" Nenji muttered as he took a step towards the next terminal.

"Ijuuin! Let us go!"

"OK!"

"When do I get to shine…?" Nenji sighed in defeat.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues came into a Cyber World which looked simplistic and functional yet the background was decorated with 3D images of "Dark Chips" and the color used for the ground was bleak brown.

"Blues! Find and released the electronic lock!"

"Acknowledged."

"Knight Man! Counting on you!" Pride instructed.

"Please leave it up to me, Pride – sama."

"Good. Let's do our best, Knight Man!" Blues rallied.

"Yea! Let us do deeds of arms together!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"The combination when fighting with a companion is important. I can switch between them at the touch of this button. Let's go on ahead full speed!" Enzan muttered before speaking aloud.

Blues rushed on forward but was met with one of those large defense turrets which bombarded his position.

"What an intense barrage! I can't keep on!"

Enzan made a signal to Pride and she guided Knight Man to the same spot: he let the barrage bounce off his armored body.

"Wo~h! Chance! Kingdom Crusher!"

He shot the "Kingdom Crusher" and destroyed the turret thus freeing the way and allowing for him to press a switch unlocking a door: Blues rushed through it and found another switch which he pressed to allow for Knight Man to come up to his position.

"We must remove the obstacles and stay put until the companion has made it through the doors… This needs important team-work."

"Heh, heh, heh. I'm somewhat slow today. Yo! What's up, guys? Wanna play Sneaking Unit?" "Demon King" suddenly hovered in the air above them while chuckling.

"We've been found out but it was a matter of time…"

"A little surprise is waiting up ahead." He teased.

The two Navis didn't reply and made their way further in: Knight Man stayed behind to disable the last door and Blues faced Blizzard Man in the deepest spot of the Cyber World.

"Hyururu~! I wouldn't have thought you'd get this far!" He taunted with obvious arrogance.

"Blizzard Man!" Blues growled.

"…Hyururu~! We won't let you guys get in the way of our scheme! Hyururu~!" He boasted.

"Enzan – sama!"

"We gotta beat that guy to keep on ahead! Let's go! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"I'll freeze ya! Hyururu~!"

"Go, Blues!" Knight Man rallied.

"While Ijuuin tackles the black-lane skiing guy… I'll treat you to another lesson of French!"

"Oh not that again." Laika grumbled.

"Ahem, ahem! _Vengeance! Vengeance! VENGEANCE! Vengeance!_"

"Heck. "Vengeance! Vengeance! VENGEANCE! Vengeance!" … That's it, right?" Nenji muttered.

"… _Canailles! Emplâtres! Va-nu-pieds! Troglodytes! Thouck-thouck-nougat!_" "Demon King" exclaimed in a row.

"… I'll translate! "Villains! Plasters! Miserable! Troglodytes! Foreign wandering merchants!" … That last one was out of the usual…" Knight Man muttered.

"… Hum! By intelligent use of an Elec-Type Folder I've driven this guy to the edge! The final blow, Blues! Elec Sword, Slot In!" Enzan exclaimed in the meanwhile.

"Hra~h!"

"Hyururu… C-crap! It won't end like this! Hyururu~!" Blizzard Man muttered as he collapsed from his wounds.

A purple swirling "gateway" opened behind him and began to try to suck Blues inside along with Blizzard Man.

"Wha! I'm being pulled in! What the hell is that?"

"This is a _black hole_ linking to the "Obscure Nebula"!" Blizzard Man proudly announced.

"…"Obscure Nebula", you say!" He gasped.

"The "Dark Universe" Regal – sama created! You'll endlessly roam inside of it! Hyururu~!" Blizzard Man laughed.

He was sucked inside and Blues struggled to avoid being sucked in while a sound rang out in the real world.

"The EM barrier has been disabled!" Nenji gasped.

"Blues! Plug Out!"

"N-no good, Enzan – sama! This huge power is trying to suck me in and preventing Plug – Out! Che!" Blues cursed.

"Blues!"

"No good!"

Knight Man warped in front of Blues and shielded him: Blues gasped and looked up at his mole.

"Knight Man…!"

"Mugh…! Rather tight…! Blues! Hurry up and Plug-Out! Now that I'm shielding you… It should be alright!" He rallied.

"But…! Knight Man!" Blues argued.

"You can't be called a knight if you can't even save 1 companion! Hurry up and go…!"

"Knight Man…!"

"Blues! Defeat Nebula! Be relieved: once thou Plug-Out I'll follow thou!"

"Knight Man…!"

Blues left the system and Knight Man began to be pulled in despite his sheer weight.

"Knight Man! Hurry up and Plug-Out too!" Pride commanded.

"Pride – sama. I shall not offer any excuses…" He muttered.

"This is an order! Hurry it up: come back!" Pride ordered.

"I-Ijuuin – dono…! Pride – sama… I entrust the Princess to thee!"

"Knight Man!"

Knight Man was finally sucked in: the _black hole_ closed up thus leaving no trace that it'd been there: Pride hung her head down: Enzan looked guilty.

"…Let's hurry on ahead… There's no time to get sentimental and filled up…" Laika muttered.

"Ijuuin! Let's go on ahead! I'll fight! And avenge Knight Man!" Nenji exclaimed.

"Princess… I…" Enzan tried to speak to Pride.

"Don't say anything. Knight Man just fulfilled his duty as a knight… And you must have your own duty to fulfill too… The rest is up to you…" Pride sighed.

"Princess… Yeah! I'll fulfill my duty too!"

"I leave the rest up to you…"

They left her behind to weep in silence and came out into a catwalk labeled "Level 2" built above the first floor from where they'd come in: they made their way through the factory and found another barrier plus one of the consoles emitting it: the left side of it had a conveyor belt carrying endless amounts of "Dark Chips" across it.

"… Another idiotic EM barrier… Good. Let's Plug – In and remove the barrier! This one seems to have another Plug – In port too…" Enzan grumbled as he examined the console.

"So I finally get to shine!" Nenji grinned.

"That's as far as you come!"

They gasped and looked at the left to see a Nebula soldier looking at them from the other side of the conveyor belt and in front of the second console generating the barrier.

"A Nebula soldier!" Laika grumbled.

"The other Plug – In entrance to remove that EM barrier is here! What a pity! Resign yourselves!" He taunted.

"It's all over, then?"

"Che!"

"Oh. So I should Plug-In there, then… I heard something good." A new voice rang out close by.

"Who…?"

Dark Miyabi suddenly came in from the left and cornered the soldier before adopting a _ninja_ pose.

"Kyei~!"

He tossed a metallic spheroid at his ground and detonated thus knocking the soldier into the ground.

"Gu…! Gya…gya…gya…gya~!" He uttered before he lost consciousness.

"Miyabi!" Enzan sighed in relief.

"Leave this to me." Dark Miyabi told them.

"Good! Let's go, Blues! Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues came into the device's "Cybernetics" while Shadow Man did so from a walkway above his.

"Blues. Be careful. There'll surely be a "Darkloid" hidden here…"

"Roger."

"The air's stagnated… "Dark Power", huh…" Shadow Man muttered with obvious distaste.

"Oi! Shadow Man! Do your role!" Blues called out.

"Hmpf… Let's go…"

Shadow Man went on his way and soon found one of those "Dark Clouds" blocking his way: he adopted a straight posture with his hands' index and middle fingers aiming upwards.

"Let's go… _Rin_! _Pyou_! _Tou_! _Sha_! _Kai_! _Jin_! _Retsu_! _Zai_! _Zen_! _Water-spider spell! _Hah!" He chanted in a rush before coming up with his sandals and jumping over the "Dark Cloud" in a gracious manner.

He then drew his Muramasa Blade and faced the "Dark Chip" ahead.

"However, there's nothing that the current Muramasa can't slay… Take this!" He muttered with a hint of amusement.

He cut the "Dark Chip" in half and the "Dark Cloud" was destroyed so he assumed his usual pose.

"Nin!" He exclaimed.

"… Heh, heh, heh! _Sauvages! Aztèques! Grenouilles! Marchands de tapis! Iconoclastes!_" "Demon King" showed up.

"My bad. I forgot to turn on my radar." Shadow Man muttered.

"Hmpf… "Savages! Aztecs! Frogs! Tapestry-sellers! Iconoclasts!" … What idiotic vocabulary." Dark Miyabi was unimpressed.

"Who'd said you come all the way here…? That's some courage, alright. But I won't let you guys to keep on forward anyway. You guys' adventure will be met with _the end_ here. Ki, ki, ki, ki, ki!"

"The "Dark Power" has increased since last time around…!"

Blues had managed to reach Shade Man after he and Shadow Man unlocked all doors and Shade Man was acting the gentleman again given his choice of words.

"I really don't need to chat this long… Let us begin!" Shade Man eagerly announced.

"Coming, sir!"

"Wait a min!"

Shadow Man came up with his right hand closed around the hilt of the Muramasa Blade and looking ready to butt in.

"Shadow Man!"

"I'll cook up that bat." Shadow Man announced.

"It is of extreme disrespect to come and interrupt a duel between men… Those who soil this battle shall be swallowed into endless "Dark"!" Shade Man announced in a dramatic tone of voice.

Another _black hole_ opened behind Shadow Man and he gasped as he tried to run away from it.

"Che! Shadow Man! Run!"

"You intend to drag me in?" Shadow Man scoffed.

He tried to outrun its force but it was stronger than he expected so he began to be pulled in.

"I'm being dragged in…!"

He was pulled inside and the phenomenon vanished: Blues growled and turned around to face Shade Man again.

"Hell! Shadow Man too!"

"Ki, ki, ki, ki, ki… Now the interlopers are gone… Well then, let us battle at our heart's contents!" Shade Man laughed.

"You lowlife… I'll defeat you for good today! Enzan – sama, sir!"

"Roger! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"… Heh, heh! Be relieved! I'll soon send you to meet with your companion! Ki~!" He laughed as he spread his wings.

"Well then, where was I? Oh yeah. _Chenapans! Ectoplasmes! Marins d'eau douce! Bachi-bouzouks! Zoulous! Doryphores_!"

"Hmpf… "Rogues! Ectoplasms! Rookie sailors! Foreign mercenaries! Zulus! Potato beetles!" … You're pathetic. Really." Dark Miyabi kept on being unimpressed at his choice of vocabulary.

"_Froussards! Macaques! Parasites! Moules à gaufres!_"

"… "Cowards! Macaca monkeys! Parasites! Smallpox sequels!"… Smallpox doesn't exist anymore." Dark Miyabi dully told him.

"You're well-informed, Mr. Miyabi!"

"It is the way of a _ninja_."

"…R-Regal – sama… I shall return to… the "Dark"… And I shall become a yearning body of "hatred"… and thus, "Nebula Grey" shall allow me to... become new power…" Shade Man muttered.

"What's "Nebula Grey"?" Blues demanded.

"… Heh…! A being which grants shape to the "Dark"… I shall drift into the "Dark Swirl"… and become one piece of a new form… And they who got swallowed into the "Obscure Nebula"… shall as well…! Heh, heh, heh, heh…! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Shade Man exclaimed as he got deleted and nothing was left behind.

"Dark Miyabi… You can blame me for being useless." Blues muttered.

"Miyabi…" Enzan muttered next.

"Don't mind me. Keep on ahead. I'll hand over the feat of today's Nebula suppression to you guys…" Dark Miyabi dully told them.

"I won't let Shadow Man's work be in vain." Blues told him.

"… Hmpf!"

"Please Plug-Out, Enzan – sama!"

"Yeah. I know."

"Heck. Even Shadow Man…! Ijuuin! Hurry on ahead! Blow Regal skywards!" Nenji growled.

"We've got no time to weep. If you're concerned about either Knight Man or Shadow Man then hurry on ahead…"

The group left Dark Miyabi behind and came out into the "Level 3" hall to find two consoles emitting the barrier blocking the door into "Level 3" and one smaller console in front of it: Nenji and Laika checked the larger consoles while Enzan sighed.

"No good. It's locked with a key."

"The door is locked with a key and with control panels which say "please Plug-In"… F-f-finally! My turn to shine came!" Nenji grinned.

"Why don't you cool down for a change? As you can see, this is a mission in which three persons need to Plug-In." Laika calmly told them without being impressed.

"Gotcha, gotcha… Be cool-headed, be cool-headed… "

"You two! Be on your toes!" Enzan warned.

"But of course!" Nenji boasted.

"Yeah."

"Let's go, then! Plug – In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues made it inside of the system and drew his Long Sword while he examined the terrain with obvious mistrust.

"You know the drill, Blues! Release the EM barriers!" Enzan commanded to him.

"Acknowledged."

Search Man and Naplam Man came in soon enough as well: they looked around to examine the terrain.

"All's ready. I can go anytime…"

"Heh, heh, heh! I'll blow them away to my heart's content!" Napalm Man got cocky.

"Go for it, Blues!"

"Your will!"

Napalm Man walked down one of the branches of the road and found a locked armored door: he readied his guns and laughed.

"This crappy door hopes to stop my progress, huh? Uura~h! Blow up!" He exclaimed.

He hit the door and blew it up thus leaving only the frame yet this one collapsed too: he shrugged.

"Heh! No big deal!"

Search Man instead found an electronic lock which he began to analyze immediately.

"As long as I have my analysis abilities then this door is nothing…" He was unimpressed.

He took some seconds but then a ping rang out and he looked up as the lock was released and opened.

"Release completed."

"… QUE LE GRRRAND CRRRIC ME CRRROQUE!" A pitchy voice rang out of nowhere.

"… "Let devil bite me if...!" … What?" Search Man didn't seem to find the point of the joke.

"_Anthropopitèque! _ _Moule à gaufres!_"

"… Che. "Anthropoid! Smallpox sequel!" … Didn't Dark Miyabi tell you already? There's no smallpox!" Search Man grumbled.

"Dunno what the smallpox is but doesn't sound nice if it can leave sequels in ya…" Napalm Man muttered.

"_Moule à gaufres vous-même, espèce d'ectoplasme!_"

"… "You yourself are the smallpox sequel, you ectoplasm-like thing!" … Is that supposed to be a challenge?" Search Man was annoyed by now as evidenced by the twitch over his right eye.

"… _Montrez-vous donc, si vous n'avez pas peur, canaque! Cannibale! Iconoclaste!_"

"… "Show your hide, then, if you're not a coward, you villain! Cannibal! Iconoclast!" … Another challenge? YOU show your hide!"

"Here you have me, Mr. Soldier." "Demon King" taunted as he hovered into the air five meters over Search Man.

"Oi. Why didn't you tell me there was a party?" "Demon Prince" questioned as he showed up.

"I thought I'd told you to stay in the upstairs room and keep watch of those three…"

"No need to! The lock-down program and the nanomachines can take care of that while the Doc works on the finishing touches!"

"Alright then. Wanna join my express French class?"

"Not that again…"

"Ahem, ahem! _Paltoquet! Maraud! Sapajou!_"

"… "Rude! Raider! South Ameroupe monkey!" … I knew those!" "Demon Prince" groaned.

"Heh, heh, heh. Oho. Blues made it to Storm Man's spot…"

"_Cloud_ Man!" He corrected.

"Hoh, hoh… So you've beaten Shade Man? The guy's fallen into a brief sleep within the "Great Dark Swirl" 'till Nebula Grey spins out a new form, huh…" Cloud Man made his usual hollow chuckle.

"…"Nebula Grey" again…! What the hell is that?"

"A being which grants shape to shapeless ones… It also acts aas the core of the "Obscure Nebula"… Namely: the "Obscure Sun"!"

"…"Obscure… Sun…"…!" Blues gasped.

"You wanna meet it so badly so why don't you check it out with your own eyes… However! Only if you can beat me!" Cloud Man challenged him with a smug grin.

"Come! Enzan – sama!"

"Go! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"… Hoh, hoh, hoh…! Fall into sleep, Blues! Within the "Great Dark Swirl" and forever…!"

"Coming…" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"I'm not done yet."

"Oh crap."

"… _Perroquet bavard! Cornichon! Boit-sans-soif!_"

"… "Chatty parrot! Gherkin cucumber! Drunkard!" … Oi. Didn't I tell you before? We can't drink alcohol!" "Demon Prince" annoyingly told him.

"And what would ya do if ya could?" "Demon King" teased.

"I'd pass." He quickly replied.

"Wise guy!" He giggled.

"That's ironic coming from you given how you're my senior."

"Nor like I command ya to call me "senpai", either…"

"I know, but…" He trailed off.

"…Heh, heh, heh…" Cloud Man made a hollow chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Blues questioned.

Cloud Man had suffered grave damage and was chuckling despite it: Blues looked mistrusting of his intentions.

"It won't end like this… Taste your own powerlessness!"

"Hell." Blues hissed.

"Nuo~h!" He roared as he spread his arms.

"Ku…!"

"Uo~h!"

"Heh, heh, heh…"

Blues looked around just in the time to see two _black holes_ closing and that both Search Man and Napalm Man had vanished: he gasped and looked about to explode into pure anger.

"… S-Search Man…! Napalm Man…!"

"Heh, heh, heh… Even if you… defeated me… you couldn't save… your companions…!" Cloud Man taunted.

"Cloud Man! You lowlife!"

"If ya wanna grudge something… Grudge your own powerleness! Wah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" He laughed in a maddening tone of voice as his body was deleted and destroyed.

"More companions have been sacrificed… I hate to admit it but that lowlife was right: I'm powerless!" Blues cursed.

"We've got no time to feel depressed. Keep on ahead, Blues."

"Also… I wanted to have Regal eat my one blow but… I'm counting on ya, Blues! Avenge Napalm Man too!"

"You guys… Let us go, Enzan – sama!" Blues requested.

"Yeah. We gotta keep on ahead!"

"Don't mind us. Hurry on ahead!" Nenji animated.

"What are you doing…? If you're worrying about us then… That's a mistake. Think about what you must do."

Enzan ran on ahead and found another set of two large consoles and one smaller one yet the big ones were facing sideways and had to be accessed by another pathway: they were blocking the start of a set of stairs climbing upwards until unseen heights.

"… If we overcome this EM barrier then we can exit the "Dark Chip" factory yet… But to release this barrier we gotta… We gotta do it between 3 of us who Plug – In at the same time… Our companions staked their lives and opened the road to get here yet I can't go on ahead… Yet my only choice is to keep at it even if it means great expenses… Blues! Let's do all we can!" Enzan muttered before looking at his PET.

"Roger, Enzan – sama… We have no other road…" He was cut off all of a sudden.

"W-wait a min, cha!"

"That voice…!"

Jasmine came in from the right and quickly studied the machine.

"So we gotta Plug – In here, then!" She deduced.

"Jasmine…!"

"Then I'll handle it from here…"

Barrel came in from the left and immediately drew his PET.

"Huh! Mr. Barrel! So you two were alright!"

"Leave this to me. Jasmine. Are you ready?" Barrel called out.

"I'm OK anytime!"

"Excellent! Let's go! Plug – In! Blues, Transmission!"

The three Navis made it inside at almost the same time and upon three different spots.

"… Hum, hum! I can feel a strong "Dark Power"… Regal has to be very close by…" Colonel muttered.

"I'll beat whoever shows up!"

"Enzan – sama! The moment of the decisive battle draws closer, sir! Let us go!" Blues tried to sound resolved.

"Be on your toes no matter what!"

Colonel went on ahead and found one of those doors like the one which had sealed Akihara Area 3 before the very 1st "Liberation Mission" blocking his path.

"What a weak door… Hmpf!"

He easily destroyed it and activated the switch before sending a signal for Meddy to get in the move: she navigated the area and found one "Dark Power" barrier.

"Let's go! Healing Pulse! Eei! No big deal, really."

"… Hmmm… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. _Moule à gaufres! Marin d'eau douce! Froussard!_"

"Jeez. "Smallpox sequel! Rookie sailor! Coward!" … I ain't a rookie sailor, ya know!" "Demon Prince" protested.

"_Mille millions de mille sabords! Cette fois, j'en ai assez!_"

"… "A billion blue blistering barnacle! I'm going to do it this time!" … Do what?" "Demon Prince" asked.

"Patent the Evil Feathered Slippers."

"HUH? What the heck?"

"Ya didn't see that one coming, eh?" "Demon King" picked.

"Oh. Leave me alone!"

"_Laissez-moi! Il faut que je passé ma rage quelque chose!_"

"… "Let me! I need to vent my rage into something!" … Oi. That wouldn't be me, right?"

"Nah. A coconut tree." "Demon King" admitted.

"Oh yeah? And where do ya plan on finding one?"

"In Jawaii."

"Well! Guess so."

"…Hum! Hmpf…! So you've finally come all the way here! You bothersome mice!" Cosmo Man's voice rang out.

"Blues! I'm heading over there! Meddy! You wait there!" Colonel called out.

"I intend to fight too! Wait for me, Blues!" Meddy replied.

"What annoying chit-chatting guys…! Stay quiet for a bit. Show up! "Obscure Nebula"!" Cosmo Man grumbled.

"N-no! What the heck is this? I… I'm being sucked in!"

"Oh hell! Meddy! Run!" Blues commanded.

"I c-can't anymore~!" She gasped.

"Che!"

Colonel warped and tried to hit Cosmo Man but he backed up in time and Colonel's attack failed to meet the target.

"Slow!" He taunted.

"What!" Colonel growled.

A _black hole_ opened and sucked him in before he could blink twice: Meddy was still trying to hold on.

"Kya~h!"

"Meddy!"

"BURUUSU~!" She cried as she was swallowed up by the _black hole_ and it closed up.

"COSMO MA~N! YOU LOWLIFE~!" Blues opened the floodgates.

"Heh, heh, heh… What wonderful facial expression: when hatred rises up! Allow the body to get angrier! Hate me more! Your anger makes us "Darkloids" stronger!" Cosmo Man taunted.

"Enzan – sama… Please handle the "Operating"…!"

"What taste does your anger have? Alright! Show it to me: discharge your anger emotions into me!" He kept on taunting.

"You asked for it! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"I'll make sure to taste out your anger!" Cosmo Man challenged.

"There they go. Should we make our way upstairs to check on the guys and the Doc?" "Demon King" turned serious.

"Sure…" "Demon Prince" shrugged.

"… Program Advance! Dream Sword!"

"Che! The 2nd one…! Cosmo Planet!"

Blues attacked Cosmo Man while he formed the gigantic planetoids with their large rings yet Blues dodged them and struck Cosmo Man with the blade: he did some damage but the enemy was still standing and didn't look worn out at all.

"Not yet! Cosmo Gate!"

A meteor fell down and hit Blues yet he ignored it as he drew a Long Blade and hit Cosmo Man but Cosmo Man merely smiled.

"Be gone!"

He opened the distortion in space thus showering the field with minor objects which hit Blues several times and he started to pant.

"The final blow! Cosmo Ring!"

"MURAMASA BLADE~!"

"Impossible!"

Blues leapt across the air and opened a deep gash in Cosmo Man's upper chest with the cursed blade as it shone with bright purple light.

"Nuo~h… Your anger emotion… Was splendid… The emotions which give birth to furthest power in this world… Those are anger and, also, hatred… And those by themselves are the sources of "Dark Power" which you lowlifes refuse…!" He growled.

"Hmpf. Boast while you can!"

"Another little bit… In another little bit Regal – sama will complete his research… When "Heart Network" is completed… The world will be… bundled… with rage and fury…" He exclaimed.

"… H-Heart Network", you say! C-can't be…! Enzan – sama! Please Plug-Out! Let us hurry on ahead and halt Regal!" Blues gasped.

"Of course! Plug Out!"

13:57 PM (Japan Time)…

"…"Heart Server"… It's finally completed… What's left is transferring "Nebula Grey" into the server… Heh, heh, heh… The time for my ambition to be fulfilled has finally come…"

Dr. Regal finished interacting with an LCD screen built on a vertical patch of wall which was part of a gigantic machine with several antennae protruding out of it and having pipes connected to it sucking lava from a pool surrounding the structure: the room was cavernous and huge plus its ceiling was out of sight.

"Bravo, Doc."

"Sorry for the delay… We were monitoring those guys' progresses…"

"Demon King" and "Demon Prince" stepped inside: there was a large rectangular platform with round red lights set on its edges plus metallic covers: Yuuichirou had been tossed towards the northern edge where the ramp leading to the spot where Dr. Regal had been at began: Netto and Saito were sitting on their knees close by with their hands immobilized by their wrists and placed behind them plus their eyes blindfolded while being forced to hang their heads down.

"How is it, Hikari Yuuichirou – kun? After a time of several decades, the research which our fathers entrusted into us has finally been completed. They'd unmistakably be rejoiced about it, I guess…" Dr. Regal taunted as he came down the ramp and looked down on Yuuichirou.

"… Ugh…! W-wrong…! What… dad and the others wished wasn't this thing!" Yuuichirou growled.

"Listen closely, you two… This is a debate between adults!" "Demon King" whispered to Saito's ears.

"As he said… Stay silent and let them pit their ideas against each other like sword against sword…" "Demon Prince" whispered to Netto.

"You lowlifes…!" Netto growled.

"We'll smash you…!" Saito hissed.

"… Heh, heh, heh… True… Compared to what they wished… The form might be slightly different for all we know, even… However, that's but a very small matter. Their research… By the completion of "Heart Network", all of humanity's hearts will be interconnected. And that their reasoning was correct will be demonstrated… Is there any joy above that as a scientist?" Dr. Regal ignored them and kept on talking to Yuuichirou in a tone which made it look like he was the cleverest guy around there.

"There aren't any scientists anywhere who'd rejoice at the completion of an incomplete research!" Yuuichirou argued back.

"Incomplete? What are you saying? "Heart Network" is a complete theory. Rather, what is incomplete is… We humans who will become the saucer of "Heart Network"! Am I wrong?"

Yuuichirou seemed to have been placed in a position where no answer was possible so he didn't argue back: Dr. Regal didn't give him a break either.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… Using this "Heart Server" to connect persons' hearts… What if there was a program that reacts to the human heart and inflicts pain to them lurking in this server…? What would end up happening?" He teased.

"Bloody demon…!"

"Since "firewalls" don't exist within humans' hearts… It's full of "security holes"! Hah, hah, hah, hah!" Dr. Regal exploded into evil laughter.

"I should've foreseen that it'd end up like this… Why didn't I dispose of the "Hikari Report"…? Sorry, Netto, Saito…" He muttered.

"Papa…!" Both muttered.

"You needn't blame your self. There's no scientist in the world which would delete such an excellent research before one's eyes! Humans are vulnerable living beings… Were you to be stained by "evil" as well, then you'd quickly blow that little guilt away… And why don't you look down along with me from here…? The spectacle of the world being tainted by evil..."

"Netto, Saito… Forgive Papa…"

"Papa! You're not to blame! That guy is!" Netto shouted.

"Yeah! That guy is turning this into a tool of destruction!"

"Destruction, you say? My, my. I don't wish for such vain things! Destruction is vain! Empty! Meaningless! No! This is not destruction: this is the start of a new age!" Dr. Regal looked at them.

"See? That's what happens when you step into the arena without having prepared your sword properly… It gets cleaved!" "Demon King" giggled as he rubbed Saito's chin.

"Take your dirty hands off me!"

"My. What wording. I didn't expect you to be so fond of ugly wordings, Rock Man! I thought I was the one." "Demon King" sounded amused.

"But Hikari – kun here is the one who has his antecessor's fighting instincts boil in his blood from time to time too!" "Demon Prince" caressed his right cheek with his right hand's index finger which was covered in purple "skin".

"Stop laughing at me! You want a fight? I'll give you a thousand!"

"D-don't…! It's a trap…! Don't be hostile…!" Yuuichirou called out.

Both seemed to realize that Yuuichirou was right and didn't say anything else but the expression of anger did not leave their faces.

"Those guys have beaten Cosmo Man and by now they must be about to come into the downstairs command room… Yet the switch to come here ain't easy to stumble upon, either." "Demon King" giggled.

"Yeah… Let them come. We'll be ready! Let's go to our posts for a more elegant introduction! Shall we, Dr. Regal?"

"Heh, heh, heh. My pleasure…"

The three of them headed up the ramp and jumped into the next platform until they reached the topmost spot while chuckling or giggling…

14:03 PM (Japan Time)…

"…Hurry it up and go, Ijuuin Enzan! We'll bring the companions and catch up with you! You two are the only ones who can stop Regal!"

"Gotcha! Let's go, Blues!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Ijuuin, Blues! Do your best!"

Enzan ran up the stairs and ended up in the entrance of Regal's command room: there was a catwalk built over a gap looking down on a part of the factory: he climbed up a set of stairs and stepped into the center of the room which was empty and awfully silent save for the rumor of the factory and the hum of the equipment.

"Regal! The lowlife ain't here?" He gasped.

There was a sudden tremor and he gasped.

"Huh? What was that tremor? And what's more… The sound came from above! There's another floor above us then?"

"There could be a secret corridor linking to the upper floor, sir."

"True! Let's check it out!"

Enzan checked the three cylinders on the leftmost side of the room and spotted a Plug-In port within the northernmost one.

"Good! Plug – In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues entered the "Experiment Server Cybernetics" and found a normal Navi lying face-up on the floor and looking severely damaged.

"… Ah! There's a civilian Navi who looks like he doesn't belong to Nebula…! Oi! Wake up!" Blues gasped before calling out to him.

"W-who…? You came to… save me…?" The Navi slowly asked.

"Aren't there any other Navis who were caught besides you?" Blues asked of him.

"A very yellow rough guy, a girl…And also… A Navi who'd speak politely most of the time… They were here…" He described.

"Rock Man's companions. Where are those three?" Blues muttered before phrasing his question aloud.

"D-dunno… All of a sudden a thing which looked like a _black hole_ formed in the Cyber Space and sucked everyone expect for me inside…" The Navi admitted with obvious fear.

"Bothersome Regal…!"

"C-cha came to beat Regal?" The Navi asked.

"Of course." Blues confirmed.

"T-then you'll listen to my request?" He pleaded.

"Speak."

"W-well, I'm already at my limit… Defeat Regal no matter what… Regal's on the above room… Operator! Examine the centermost Chip case… The 2nd shelf has a red-dyed Chip which acts as switch to open up the hidden corridor … And also, on the left side of the case you're facing on its reverse… your companions' PETs have been hidden there… Counting on ya… Please… defeat… Regal… Ugh…" He instructed before shutting down.

"Enzan – sama! Let us go defeat that lowlife!"

"Of course!"

Enzan examined the centermost case and found the spot the Navi had described.

"Hum. The Chip case's 2nd shelf's Chip is this one. So this Chip acts as a switch. Let's go." He muttered.

He pressed it and a hidden stairway was revealed right of the computer.

"W-whoa! What was that sound? Aha! Here it is! Surely Regal and the club are there! Are you ready, Blues? This is the last battle! We're gonna free them and help them defeat Regal! For the sake of our companions!"

"I am always ready, sir!"

"Ijuuin Enzan!" Barrel called out.

"You guys!"

"Ijuuin! Please help Netto defeat Nebula!" Pride requested.

"Hmpf. You've gotten a manly face…" Dark Miyabi muttered.

"Let's shoot out some huge fireworks!"

"Defeat Regal." Laika merely reminded him.

"Ijuuin! Do your best!" Jasmine animated.

"Guys…"

"Ijuuin Enzan, this is the moment of truth. Counting on you…"

"Mr. Barrel. Guys. When I heard Hikari – hakase and Hikari Netto had been abducted I was resolved to try to save them alone and to defeat Nebula but I wouldn't have come so far alone. By combining power we've made it this far. We won't lose no matter what! You guys are backing us up! You bring your feelings along…" Enzan admitted with a sigh.

There was another tremor and everyone gasped.

"Looks like we're running outta time…" Barrel muttered.

"I know. Blues! Here we go!"

"Let us make sure we don't forget anything, sir!" Blues reminded Enzan before he headed to the stairway leading up.

"Hmpf. Do your best…" Dark Miyabi told him.

"Counting on you, Ijuuin Enzan…" Barrel told him.

"Be cool. If you don't lose your cool then you'll be sound for sure."

"Ijuuin! Do cha best! I'll cheer cha up!"

"Ijuuin! If Blues and Rock Man unite then they'll surely be able to beat Regal!" Pride suggested.

"Let's shoot out some huge fireworks!" Nenji exclaimed as he acted cocky again.

Enzan nodded in agreement and then checked on the leftmost case's reverse side.

"That Navi said Sakurai & co.'s PETs are hidden here."

He opened a compartment and found four PETs (Netto's included) which were black and non-functional.

"… Found them… I'll give them to Hikari so that he returns them to their owners later plus his own one." He decided.

"Allow me! I've got a backpack!" Jasmine offered.

"Good. Take care of them: they mean a lot for Hikari."

"So! You guys have made it all the way here! I guess you're after Red Rackham's treasure too!" "Demon King" called out as his voice came down through the stairs.

"Not that again…"

"We're up here. So make sure to properly prepare for the death clash which is waiting for you guys! Ijuuin! Are ya sure ya didn't have to go westwards according to the pendulum?"

"No." Enzan drily replied.

"Or are you sure that thing is a unicorn and now _Titanic_'s bow? Heh, heh, heh…"

"Stop with the _Tintin_ jokes. This is serious." "Demon Prince" scolded him with obvious impatience and annoyance.

"Then allow Professor Tournessol to dizzy the _Dépêche_ reporter who came for info on the expedition and got none…" He giggled.

"Whatever! Let's go, everyone! I'll take point!" Enzan rallied as he ran for the stairs.

"GO!" The whole group exclaimed.


	17. Chapter 17: VS Evil Heart

**Chapter 17: VS Evil Heart**

14:12 PM (Japan Time), Monday March the 30th…

"… Hikari! Hakase! Rock Man! It's me: Enzan!"

"Enzan!"

"Enzan – kun!"

"Ijuuin – kun…? Please stop… Regal…! He intends to stain people's hearts with evil across the world by the use of "Heart Server"…!"

Enzan rushed into the room and gasped upon spotting the panorama: he quickly spotted how both twins carried an utility belt which had a sheathed scout knife attached to each of them: he picked Netto's one and quickly cut the ropes while removing the blindfolds: they managed to stand up and rubbed their eyes before they rushed over to Yuuichirou and tried to break the cuffs.

"Hell! What are these things made of?" Netto cursed.

"If only there weren't strength limiters in this Copy Roid…!"

"Copy Roid? The Cyber City world fair's key component…?"

"I dunno if that's true or not but I don't care!" Saito shot back.

"Enzan – sama, I don't think the knife will be enough. We need to find the release mechanism."

"… Good eyesight, Holmes. I'll praise you."

"Chut. Be quiet."

"True. Once I install "Nebula Grey" into "Heart Server"… "

Enzan gasped and ran on ahead until he stopped in front of the LCD screen to look at the highest spot where Dr. Regal stood in front of a command console along with his two conspirators.

"Regal! You lowlife!"

"Hikari Yuuichirou: you really possess unique allies."

"Guh…! Regal…!" Yuuichirou hissed.

"But soon enough you won't be able to recognize that charming young man…" He trailed off in purpose.

"G-go… You guys… Please put a stop to… Regal's ambitions…!"

"But, Papa! You've been hurt!" Netto argued.

"Yeah! You need medical treatment." Saito insisted.

"I didn't bring a kit…" Enzan admitted.

"Leave Hikari – hakase to us." Barrel announced as he and the others made it inside of the room.

"Guys!"

"Whoa! Are they the "Team of Colonel"?" Netto guessed as he turned around to look at them while gasping in surprise.

"Wow."

"… Indeed… Introductions later… Leave this to us! You guys go stop Regal!" Barrel told them.

They nodded and ran up the ramp to be as close as possible to Dr. Regal: the two conspirators looked at them but Dr. Regal was busy operating the console.

"Regal! We'll smash your ambitions!"

"Heh, heh, heh… All of your struggling is in vain… Activate! "Heart Network"!"He chuckled.

He pressed a button and a loud mechanical hum rang out: fluorescent and transparent greenish squares formed in the air above them and expanded across the whole room while forming a board.

"What do you think of it? Of the world of "Heart Network"!"

"This is "Heart Network"?" The three teens wondered.

"A~h!" Several yells rang out.

"What?"

They turned around to see how each member of the "Team" was seemingly in pain given how they were clutching their heads.

"Heart-breaking… painful… W-what are these…? What are these emotions slipping into inside of me…?" Pride muttered.

"What the hell… What's this sadness…? Tears are flowing out…"

"Ugh!" Barrel grumbled.

"Regal! What have you done?" Enzan demanded.

"What…? You're not experiencing the effects of "Heart Network", you say? You wouldn't be happening to be carrying "Magne Metal", would you?" He sounded surprised, for once.

"Oho. Cheat code?" "Demon King" sounded amused.

"Be quiet."

"No. All I have is Hikari Tadashi – hakase's charm." Enzan admitted.

"Grandpa's charm?" The twins wondered.

"What a miscalculation… I wouldn't have thought that you'd prepare "Magne Metal" to release EM Waves which would shut out the radio waves "Heart Server" emits in case it came to this… Hmpf. Well, whatever. If I install "Nebula Grey" into "Heart Server" then my ambition shall be achieved, anyway." He muttered with some slight annoyance.

He held out a blue-colored CD which reflected light for Enzan and the others to contemplate.

"Ijuuin Enzan! Do you know what this is? The "Dark Program" I developed, "Nebula Grey", is inside of this! Now all humans' hearts across the world have are linked to this "Heart Server" through "Heart Network"… And, also… Like what's happening now, others' emotions are flowing into their hearts…"

"What!"

"So! What do you think would happen if I were to insert "Nebula Grey", which was the power to amplify negative energy, into this?" He teased.

"Oh hell. You can't be serious. If you do that, then…!"

"All humanity can be stained by "evil" in an amusing manner. Heh, hah, hah, hah, hah! Install! "Nebula Grey"!" He laughed as he inserted the CD into the tray.

"… Hate…! I hate it…! The world…! This worthless world…! This fake life of mine…! No blood…! Nothing…! But an imitation…! For this guy…!" Saito suddenly began to clutch his head and speak in an icy tone of voice.

"Why had he to die? Why they gave an imitator to me? No! I want my real niisan! You're an imitator!" Netto hissed.

"Oi! You two!" Enzan gasped.

Both suddenly drew their scout knives and tackled each other while seemingly trying to hit each other: Yuuichirou suddenly kicked the knives out of their hands and before they could react he placed the raw ore charms around their necks: they immediately calmed down.

"Huh? What happened?" Saito blinked.

"Dunno…"

"Ugh! Something in my chest…! This pain…! Ugwra~h!"

"NIISAN!"

Saito suddenly clutched his chest and looked like he found the pain to be unbearable: a purple-colored mass of energy formed in the air out of his body and flew towards the control console of "Heart Server" while both accomplices laughed.

"As scheduled! Rock Man! The hate, rage and fury you've been building up have reached a climatic point and critical mass… They're programs, after all! The whole process was just for this! For your hate to be granted to "Nebula Grey": and allow it to become all-powerful!" Both exclaimed.

"What! So they predicted this outcome from the very start?"

"And THIS is the reason I established this alliance with them! Their plan was extremely brilliant! Exploit the weaknesses of human hearts! Even if you claim to be an ally of justice being turned into a powerless weak and frail person would be enough to plant the seeds of hate in you, Rock Man… And with enough time they'd reach enough mass to be extracted from your body and be turned into fuel for "Nebula Grey"… I loved it! All had been calculated to the minute! I couldn't turn down such an offer! They did all the work for me and thanks to them "Nebula Grey" has become stronger than ever! It shall become the pure incarnation of your hatred, Rock Man! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!" Dr. Regal laughed.

"You lowlife!" Yuuichirou cursed.

"Ugh…! Oi! Rock Man! If this is a robot, then why don't you leave it and give us a hand?" Laika called out.

"I've tried! But I need a 20 digit-long password!"

"Have you tried "DEMONKINGDEMONPRINCE"?" Enzan seemed to have a sudden flash of inspiration.

"You mean in Alphabet, capital and no spaces? Well… Yeah! They do make up 20 digits!" Saito gasped.

"Try it!" Enzan rallied.

"Input password…! Checking password…! Unlocked!"

"Here, Hikari! The PET!" Enzan tossed it to him as he took it out of his vest's right pocket.

"_Thank you_!"

"Plug-Out!"

Saito aimed his hands at the PET's IR sensor and a laser was emitted as he vanished and left a simplistic humanoid robot colored yellow with a small metallic piece in the face and a device on the chest.

"… I've unlocked the Rock Buster and my bodysuit plus my full abilities as well!" Rock Man reported from the PET: he'd regained his bodysuit.

"Good!" Netto grinned.

"Netto – kun! Please Plug-In! Let's go halt Regal's ambitions!"

"Enzan – sama, sir! I shall assist him, too, sir!" Blues requested.

"Come! Hikari Netto! Rock Man! Ijuuin Enzan! Blues!" Dr. Regal challenged with a smug smile.

"Welcome to the root of "evil"!" "Demon Prince" announced.

"But by now "Nebula Grey" has grown stronger thanks to the negative emotions it absorbed from you guys… Heh, heh, heh."

"Regal! I won't let you do as you like!" Netto exclaimed.

"That's my motto too!"

"Rock Man! Delete "Nebula Grey"!" Netto rallied.

"You heard him, Blues!" Enzan commanded.

"Plug – In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Plug – In! Blues, Transmission!"

Both Navis stepped inside of the "Heart Server Cybernetics" and looked around: the system was rather simplistic in form and had golden-like wires linking several spots plus grid-like formations: there were some transparent cubes with stuff inside under them too.

"Rock Man! The last battle! Smash Regal's ambitions!" Netto encouraged with a grin.

"Blues! Help them!"

Both began to move forward while destroying Viruses.

"It'd seem your skill hasn't gone down during these days, Rock Man. I've got something for you." Blues told him.

"Yeah? What is it?" Rock Man asked.

"These! The new "Soul Unisons"…!"

"N-new "Soul Unisons"…!" Rock Man gasped.

"Whoa!" Netto exclaimed.

"By using data from each "Team" Navi and the help of one of Hikari – hakase's assistants we've been able to come up with the programs needed to activate each "Soul Unison"… There's a manual adjacent to it and I can give you some Battle Chips which are to serve as the "sacrifice" to trigger them…" Enzan explained to Netto.

"By the way… How did you make those extra charms?" Yuuichirou asked of Barrel.

"We didn't. A man gave them to us: I guess he found about the properties of this ore." Barrel replied.

"How odd." Yuuichirou frowned.

"Here. "Knight Soul", "Shadow Soul", "Napalm Soul", "Meddy Soul", "Search Soul" and "Colonel Soul"!" Enzan announced.

"W-w-w-WHOA~!" Netto was awed.

"Amusing!" "Demon Prince" muttered.

"I'd rather say more: amusing." "Demon King" giggled.

"Let's see… Breaker, Invisible, Flame, Recovery and Summon are needed for each one… And here are the traits of each one… I see."

"It's for you to decide when you want to use them but I believe they'll help you in the final battle." Enzan told him.

"Alright!" Netto confirmed.

"Thank you, Blues!"

"Hmpf. Fine…" Blues shrugged.

"Let's go!"

They made their way to the mid-point across the way, a simplistic square surrounded by four cut off square platforms: both halted.

"What's wrong, Rock Man?" Netto asked.

"The enemy?" Enzan guessed.

"T-this sensation…!" Rock Man gasped.

"Those guys!"

Four purple-colored flames formed out of nowhere and surrounded them thus impeding them from keeping on ahead.

"W-what the heck are these flames?" He wondered.

"A desperate ploy?" Blues tried to guess.

"Hyurururu~! Those are our "Grudge Flames", ya see…" Blizzard Man exclaimed from the southern cut off platform where he'd shown up all of a sudden.

"Blizzard Man!"

"One of the new "Darkloids"…!" Rock Man muttered.

"Hyururu~! I won't let you keep on ahead!"

"Blues, Rock Man… You guys will be toasted by our "grudge flames" and be burnt out … Kikiki~! We've been revived once again to defeat you guys! Right, Cloud Man?" Shade Man announced from the western platform.

"Shade Man again! Why won't the guy stay dead?" Netto cursed.

"Hell...!" Blues hissed upon seeing the tight spot they were at.

"Correct. Blues! Rock Man! If you guys aren't defeated then we cannot fall into slumber…" Cloud Man told them from the eastern platform.

"Blues. Rock Man. You lowlifes will be sleeping here!" Cosmo Man proclaimed as he stood in the northern platform.

"Che." Blues grumbled something undecipherable under his breath.

"Crap." Rock Man made a grimace as he looked around them.

"The golden lowlife is named Cosmo Man." Enzan briefed.

"… Blizzard Man, Shade Man, Cloud Man and Cosmo Man! What a quartet!" Netto cursed.

"Screen Divide!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

There was a flash and both Colonel plus Knight Man showed up in front of Cosmo Man while one of those_ black holes_ had opened to their left.

"While we were roaming the "Obscure Space" we casually heard your voice…" Colonel admitted.

"Colonel! And Knight Man too!" Blues sounded rejoiced.

_So that's Colonel… And Knight Man is there too! _Rock Man thought with awe.

"Leave this up to us. It'd seem everyone was pulled by your voice and they've gathered…" Colonel told them.

"Everyone, you say?" Blues gasped.

They looked eastwards and spotted both Shadow Man and Knight Man fighting Cloud Man.

_Whoa, whoa! Shadow Man fighting in our side! And isn't that Napalm Man? He's now our ally, then! So cool!_

They then glanced westwards to see Search Man and Meddy facing off against Shade Man.

_Meddy - chan, the healer and Search Man from the Red Sun Tournament…! So those are the other "Liberation Team" members…! Cool!_

_Wow! _Netto mentally whistled in surprise.

"Awed, Hikari?" "Demon King" teased.

"… How did you know?" Netto looked up with a hostile face and like his earlier mood had been blown away.

"You've forgotten? My, my. We told you: you have a chip implanted in your brain plus the nanomachines! We can read your mind!" "Demon Prince" reminded him with a smirk.

"Che." Netto grumbled.

"Hyururu~! Come to these… I'll go shoot back at Blues and Rock Man myself…" Blizzard Man muttered.

"Guts Punch!"

There was another flash thus giving way to Guts Man, Roll and Glyde who cornered Blizzard Man.

"Guts Man! Roll – chan! Glyde!" Rock Man gasped in joy.

"Blues! Colonel told us what was going on, guts!"

"Blues and the others have faced countless dangers and come all the way here! We must reward your efforts!" Roll exclaimed.

"Please leave this spot to us and go on ahead!" Glyde requested.

"… Huff! I'm so glad! You're all alright! The flames are gone! Thank you, guys!" Rock Man sighed in relief.

"Heh. Leave it up to them: they'll win no matter what." Blues did form an intriguing smile.

"Let's go, Rock Man!" Netto rallied.

"Backup them, Blues!" Enzan commanded.

"Your will!" Blues acknowledged.

"By the way, Hikari. What happened to your eyes?"

"Contacts!" He simply replied.

"Ah. So they wanted to make us think you'd been stained by evil too: how silly."

"Correct, Holmes." "Demon King" joked.

The two Navis finally made their way to the very end of the area to find that the ground was shaped like a large rectangle aiming upwards and a bluish pale flame with four spooks emitting from it which couldn't be even a meter tall hovering in the air in front of a large _black hole_.

"T-this is "Nebula Grey"?" Rock Man wondered.

"Hah. As I thought: just bluffing. What can such a small thing do?" Blues scorned at it.

"True. Some years ago I succeeded on digitalizing a human's evil heart. And I built a system which amplifies that data and transforms it into programs of multiple forms. That is "Nebula Grey". Also… The evil heart amplified by "Nebula Grey" is planted into Chip Data within the downstairs factory and thus you get the "Dark Chips" as a result." Dr. Regal calmly lectured them into its roots.

"So you mean that… The "Dark Power" which the "Dark Chips" contain was, originally, something human?" Netto deduced.

"Bravo, Watson." "Demon Prince" giggled.

"What!" Enzan gasped.

"Correct! As long as there humans in this world the "Dark Power" won't be extinguished! And as long as the "Dark Power" isn't extinguished "Nebula Grey" will forever continue to expand the "Obscure Nebula"… If you want to stop it then try to stop it!" He challenged.

"Rock Man! The last battle! Smash "Nebula Grey"!"

"Delete without compassion!" Enzan commanded.

"Yup!"

"Acknowledged." Blues saluted.

"Heh, heh, heh… Like I thought: the enemies of humans are just humans! Hatred will birth hatred and the chain of hatred will eternally continue on creating "Dark Power"… Like in the universe! Show it to them, "Nebula Grey"! Show them the human evil heart!" Dr. Regal chuckled.

The blue flame seemed to burn with further brightness and it began to orbit the edge of the _black hole_ while flashing and summoning a large concentration of "Grudge Flames" from inside of it which began to build up into something: its size began to gradually increase as well.

"W-what the…?" Rock Man gasped.

"Che." Blues formed a scowl on his face and readied his Long Sword.

A monster-like thing began to form out of the _black hole_ and loom over the two Navis, who backed up: its main body's shape looked strikingly similar to the Alphabet letter "T" with the base having three pale blue diamond-like formations aiming NE and NW on each side of it: four large metallic chains came out from inside of the vortex and attached to the purplish mass which was the upper body.

The thing's head had an irregular shape as it was made up of reddish mass with white patterns drawn over it: two red eyes missing any iris shone on the face while the mouth area was colored blue: giant teeth filled the open mouth which uttered inhuman roars: a thin large diamond object was set on the forehead, too.

Six needles colored blue and with a small blackish stripe near the base of them emerged from behind the shoulders: they had an eerie vibe to them and looked sharp.

The monster's hands looked more like claws than real hands: they were colored in a reddish tint all the way to the start of the forearms: two cuffs seemingly made of metal with an inner blue band and lacking chains were visible on the monster's wrists.

The blue flame started to orbit in a slow manner around the thing while it spread its arms wide, opened its mouth and emitted an inhuman roar which was felt even by those in the real world.

"T-this is…!" Rock Man gasped.

"What a freak!" Blues scowled.

"Yikes." Both Netto and Enzan grimly muttered.

"The embodied form of the human evil heart… Can you guys' power defeat it? Go, "Nebula Grey"! Stain the whole world with "evil"!" Dr. Regal laughed.

"You're facing the "Demon God"!" "Demon King" exclaimed.

"Its power radiates on us!" "Demon Prince" announced.

"Netto – kun!"

"Enzan – sama!"

"Yeah! This is the end!" Netto acknowledged.

"Let's go!"

"Last Operation, Set!" Both Operators announced.

"In!" Both Navis exclaimed.

"Nebula Grey" emitted another inhuman roar and the battle began with the monster throwing a purple flame into the floor which began to spread following a pattern: both focused on dodging and shot attacks at the thing which didn't seem to connect.

"Wait, Blues! I get it! This thing isn't "Nebula Grey" per se! It's a distraction! "Nebula Grey" is there: the blue orbiting flame! We must attack that!" Rock Man pointed.

"Let's go, then!" Blues exclaimed.

"Soul Unison: Shadow Soul!" Netto announced.

Rock Man transformed into "Shadow Soul" which granted him a _ninja_ suit strikingly similar to Shadow Man's plus those two red extensions: he charged up energy and shot a _shuriken_ at the blue flame thus hitting it and making the HP counter (clocking at 2000 HP) go down by a bit.

"Struggle in vain!" Dr. Regal taunted.

"Shaddup, Regal!" Enzan growled.

"Yeah! Shut your trap up!"

"Hum…! Program Advance! Dream Sword! Eat this, freak!"

"Nebula Grey" seemed to react to that given the monster suddenly turned into some kind of serpent dragon which plunged forward to hit the field thus cracking two thirds of Rock Man and Blues' area.

"No big deal! "Shadow Soul" has "Float Shoes" built into it!" Netto challenged them.

"But that ain't all, no sir…" "Demon King" giggled.

A purple hole opened on the floor and a chain of purple flames jumped out to then dive into a hole which opened right in front of the one they'd come out from: they tended to pop out in front of each Navi and it was somewhat bothersome to have to dodge them the whole time.

"Change! "Knight Soul"! Area Steal!"

Rock Man gained armor similar to Knight Man's, a guard for his eyes plus a shield and the wrecking ball: he stepped ahead and swung the ball in a circle thus hitting the flame twice.

"Not bad. You've taken out about 550 HP and I've dealt 300 HP of damage with my Delta Ray Edge. 850 HP total. So we're nearing the middle mark yet we can't lower our guards." Blues told him.

"Good! "Napalm Soul" goes next!"

Rock Man changed to "Napalm Man" soul thus gaining Napalm Man's armor design and two launcher tubes on his back: at that moment a "Dark Chip" was dropped in the fourth row and a blackish shadow of Blues formed there before shooting the "Dark Thunder Ball Dark Chip" ahead of them and vanishing.

"This thing can summon "Dark Chips" too!" Enzan cursed.

"I don't care! Go! Giga Cannon! Charge Shot!"

"Good! 450 HP of damage taken out… 1300 HP lost…!" Blues began to get his hopes up.

"Careful!"

Blues dodged the "Dark Sword Dark Chip" attack next followed by the "Dark Lance Dark Chip" attack.

"Che! It's getting desperate! Neo Variable Sword! Heavy Gauge! Custom Sword! There! 300 HP of damage! You've lost 1600 HP by now!"

"Hmpf." Dr. Regal kept on looking unimpressed.

"Careful! That's the "Dark Meteors Dark Chip"!" Netto warned.

"Netto – kun!"

"I know! "Meddy Soul"! Charge Shot! Recovery 100!"

"Meddy Soul" gave Rock Man Meddy's bodysuit design plus the backpack and red transparent shades.

"Go, Blues! Wide Blade! Long Blade!"

"Close to 200 HP of damage, so it's lost around 1850 HP!"

"More, more! "Search Soul"! I know this isn't "new" per se but I don't care right now! Fire!"

Rock Man gained the colors of Search Man plus the "Scope Gun" and transparent bluish shades over his eyes: he locked on and shot at the monster which roared and looked like it was getting weaker.

"Last one! "Colonel Soul"!"

"Colonel Soul" had Rock Man gain armor similar to Colonel's plus a saber on his right forearm: the armor had patches of brown and yellow to it and struck as "cool" and strong.

"Careful!" Rock Man gasped.

The monster vanished and a volley of the monster's hands came out of the _black hole_ instead: they gripped both Navis and sucked their HP off to regenerate those of the monster which climbed back to 250 HP and emitted a mocking chuckle.

"No big deal! Z – Saber!"

"Let's go, Blues! Delta Ray Edge!"

"Charge Shot!"

Both attacks were more than what the thing could handle so it began to break apart until only the core essence, "Nebula Grey" itself was left.

"We did it?" Netto gasped.

"Wait." Enzan grimly muttered.

"Don't underestimate the "Dark Power"!" Dr. Regal laughed.

Several "Grudge Flames" flew out of the _black hole_ and built up around Blues and Rock Man thus inflicting burns to them.

"Rock Man!"

"Blues!"

"U-uwa~h!"

"Grargh!"

"Rock Man!"

"Blues!"

"Heh, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! If I can't win through battling then I'll stain both Rock Man and Blues with evil until I turn them into my servants! Let your fleshes and hearts be stained by evil!" Dr. Regal exploded into pure evil laughter.

"Uwa~h!"

"Hell!" Blues cursed.

"We won't lose to that crappy "evil heart"! Go for it, Rock Man!"

"That's my motto too!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Useless! Useless! It doesn't matter much you resist! Both Rock Man and Blues are being stained by evil!" Dr. Regal kept on taunting.

"Ga~h!" Rock Man kept on agonizing.

"You lowlife!" Blues cursed.

"Alright then! Be stained by evil, Rock Man and Blues! And when you become my Navis… Why don't you to rule over the completely evil world?" Dr. Regal laughed.

"How fitting." "Demon King" sounded eager.

"Heh. A disciple for us to train, eh?" "Demon Prince" amusedly muttered aloud.

"N-Netto – kun…! S-sorry… I can't… anymore…!"

"E-Enzan – sama…! I won't give up, sir!"

"Rock Man! You can't… give up!" Netto gasped.

"Fight, Blues!"

Netto suddenly took off the raw ore charm to Enzan's surprise: Dr. Regal exploded into laughter.

"Heh, hah, hah, hah! If you throw the amulet containing "Magne Metal" then that means you're ready to take in "Heart Network" and to be stained by evil?" He challenged.

"Hikari! Don't do reckless stuff!" Enzan scolded.

"Ugh… R-Rock Man! Can you hear… the voice of my heart…?" Netto tried to call out.

"I see. By using "Heart Network" you intend to talk directly to Rock Man's heart! But it's a useless effort! The hearts of humans across the world are gathered here. For Rock Man to feel the call of your heart is equal to trying to find a mere pebble within a desert!" He laughed.

"Put on the charm, Hikari!" Enzan commanded.

"U-ugh… I should be able to transmit to Rock Man… No! To transmit to Saito – niisan! Ugh!" Netto muttered as he seemingly tried to block out the negative energy.

"Netto…" An echoing voice rang out.

"T-that voice…! Grandpa?" Netto gasped.

"You and Rock Man are always connected. It's just difficult to see it now… I'll say it again… You two are always connected…" The voice of Hikari Tadashi told him.

"Grandpa… Ain't that true, Rock Man? We don't need to use the likes of the "Heart Network" because we're always connected! Right, Rock Man!"

"W-wha~t? Hi-Hikari Tadashi is guiding Hikari Netto, you say? I-impossible…!"

Rock Man suddenly stood up and released a bright amount of energy which blinded the area.

"R-Rock Man…! T-that form…!" Netto gasped.

Blues gasped: Rock Man had shed his bodysuit and was now standing there without anything to cover his now exposed body yet it seemed that his real body had been "edited" to not to show his "spot" and the whole of it had a surreal or "apparition" feel to it given its bright white and bluish glow: his hair was now exposed and his eyes shone with a blue light which transmitted resolution.

"S-Saito – niisan…!" Netto gasped.

"Thank you, Netto. Like you said, Netto… Even if "Heart Network" disappears we're always connected!" Saito exclaimed.

"Saito – niisan…"

"That's his true form…!" "Demon King" gasped.

"We knew his looks but to think he radiates such power…!" "Demon Prince" gasped next.

"The "Dark Power" won't lose!" Dr. Regal growled.

_That's Rock Man's true form… Hikari Saito!_ Blues thought with awe filling him: the flames had vanished too.

_So this is his real form…!_ Enzan inwardly thought.

"We know a power stronger than the likes of the evil heart!" Saito announced as he faced "Nebula Grey".

"There's no power which can overcome evil! BE GONE~!" Dr. Regal was clearly annoyed by now.

More "Grudge Flames" came out but Saito didn't seem to be affected by them at all.

"Regal! Your ambition ends here!" Saito announced.

He extended his right hand forward and closed his eyes as he released energy and when the flash died down both "Nebula Grey" and the _black hole_ were gone and in their place there was a brownish spheroid with many holes containing a reddish mass inside of it: the size of it seemed to be smaller than a soccer ball even.

"The "Dark Power" is… gone…" Netto muttered.

"The "Dark Power" has been drowned out, you say… C-can't be… Shouldn't be possible…!" Dr. Regal was taken aback.

"Whoa." Both accomplices sounded scared, even.

_What power…!_ Blues was taken aback too.

_Hikari Saito's true power…!_ Enzan was awed.

"It's over…"

Saito collapsed into his knees as the glow diminished and his bodysuit began to reform over his body.

"Thank you… niisan. Ah!" Netto muttered before gasping.

The spheroid shattered and "Nebula Grey" came out once again.

"Heh, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! No matter how many times you destroy it'll keep on reviving! This is the "Dark Power"! This time it's the real end! Be gone, Rock Man! And Blues!" Dr. Regal exploded into laughter again and sounded victorious.

"Rock Man!"

"Be careful, Blues!"

"Che!"

"Grah! I'm too weak!" Blues cursed.

"Rock Ma~n!"

Netto gasped in horror as the thing dived for Rock Man but Colonel suddenly warped in front and tackled it to try to keep it at bay.

"C-Colonel!" Blues gasped.

"Colonel…?" Rock Man wondered.

"G-guh…! Rock Man! Shoot the finishing one blow to "Nebula Grey"! I won't last long!" Colonel looked over his right shoulder.

"Y-yeah…"

Rock Man managed to stand up although his balance was very fragile: he drew the "Rock Buster" and aimed but he suddenly collapsed into the ground again.

"What are you doing?" Colonel yelled.

"Ugh… The "Rock Buster" won't fire…!" Rock Man reported.

"You're too exhausted, then…! We're done for?" Colonel growled.

"Everyone! Help Rock Man!"Blues called out.

All of the "Team" Navis plus Roll, Glyde and Guts Man formed a squad right behind them.

"Transmit power to Rock Man! Our "Souls" are connected! We should be able to do it! Everyone: grant power to your "Souls"!" Colonel instructed.

_Me too…!_ Blues thought.

Their bodies began to glow and Rock Man's body resonated: he began to stand up and lifted his right arm with the "Rock Buster" drawn.

"Everyone's power is flowing into my body!"

"Rock Man! NOW! Hum!"

Colonel warped to the left while Rock Man finished loading the "Rock Buster" with a sphere of energy: both accomplices gasped and seemed to fear what came next.

"This time it's the real end! "Rock Buster"!" He yelled.

The blast hit "Nebula Grey" and blew it up: its explosion shook the entire "Heart Server" and the machine began to malfunction given the explosions and frizzling of it: Dr. Regal gasped along with the two accomplices.

"… The "Heart Sever"! My desired world is crumbling! It's totally… vanished…" He grimly muttered as the machine shut down.

"Regal. You can't do anything else." Barrel announced as he came up the ramp to join Netto and Enzan.

"And he is…?" Netto asked Enzan.

"Mr. Barrel!"

"Been a while… Regal." Barrel called out.

"Barrel! TThe Captain General of Ameroupe Army's "Network Troop"? W-why are you lowlife…?" He recognized him.

_Ameroupe Army's "Network Troop"…! I should've seen it coming! Colonel is English for "tai-sa"! _Enzan inwardly gasped.

"Whoa. Like Laika…!" Netto muttered.

"I was requested by a certain person to destroy "Heart Server". However, it'd seem I don't really need to bother. The shock of the destruction of "Nebula Grey" has triggered explosions in the factory… And those shocks have activated the action of this mountain's volcano… In some few tens of minutes, "Heart Server" will be swallowed by the magma, I guess."

"… Heh, heh, heh…! So! My ambitions stop here! That's what you mean to say…" He tried to look unimpressed.

"Dr. Regal…"

"Doc…"

"You two. I was glad to find bright intelligent minds and I'll say it again: your scheme was flawless!"

"But, Doc…"

"Doctor…"

"… But I'm the captain who goes down with the ship: I don't intend to drag you along… You are the next generation! Continue the labor you began! There's a place you can use… My "Nebula Hole Area" hidden close to the Reverse Internet… Use it! Farewell! Good luck!"

"… Farewell." Both grimly muttered.

They leapt into the air and ignited some jets on the soil of their boots to fly upwards and vanish out of sight: Netto and Rock Man smiled.

"This place is dangerous. Let's hurry it up and escape ASAP." Barrel told the teens.

"Yeah." Enzan confirmed.

The room suddenly shook with violence and Netto barely kept his balance by dropping into his fours.

"Whoa!"

"A volcanic earthquakue… Eruption is closer than I thought…" Barrel grimly muttered.

"Let's get out then!" Enzan rallied.

"Yeah!"

They rushed down the ramp and met with Yuuichirou plus the other "Team" members: Laika was carrying the "Copy Roid" and was busy apparently trying to study it.

"Papa!"

"Hakase. Are you alright, sir?" Enzan asked.

"Well done, Netto and Rock Man." Yuuichirou congratulated both of them while sighing.

"Yeah! Let's hurry and go out!" Netto rallied.

"Sorry, Netto, but go on ahead. I'll make sure to come right afterwards."

"That won't do!" Netto protested.

"Papa has to dialogue with Regal. As a scientist and as Hikari Tadashi's son…" He told him with a sigh.

"Yeah… But come after us ASAP no matter what!" Netto insisted while looking preoccupied.

"Yeah. I promise. There's no time! Hurry it up!"

"You heard him. Let's go."

The group fled while Yuuichirou climbed up the ramp and stopped in front of the now inactive LCD screen.

"Regal!" He called out.

"Hikari Yuuichirou… Have you come to laugh at me? Hah, hah, hah, hah! Laugh at your heart's content!" He made a hollow laugther as he came down the ramp.

"Regal. I've now understood everything through the affair you've sprung this time around… "Heart Network"… It's been passed down from our fathers to us: and from us to the next generation… It must be "hope" which is passed on… It's a message from out fathers: to create a world in which all of humanity will have a stong heart capable of repelling evil…"

"…Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! You purposely stayed behind amidst this danger just to tell me that? You fool! There's no chance that such a day will ever come to be! My father himself, Wily, sold his soul to evil! And didn't he try to destroy the world?" He laughed at it.

"True: Wily stained his hands in evil… However! When he completed "Heart Network"… He didn't attempt to abuse of it! Doesn't that mean that there's still some hope for humanity left on Wily's heart?"

"Hmpf! It's but a worthless guess!"

"True: it's but a guess… Nevertheless… I want to believe… Believe in Wily… And, Regal… I want to believe you…"

He made a pause but his balance seemed to be worsening.

"If it doesn't become reality within our generation… We can entrust that ideal to the next generation… I dunno how much time it'll take… However! As long as that belief doesn't die out then dad and the others' wish should be made reality… And we have the duty to pass the belief from a previous generation to the next generation… I h-have it and you, Regal, have it too… C-come along me… And make up for you sins… Inherit your father's beliefs and tell them to the next generation… Ugh!"

Yuuichirou collapsed from the accumulated damage and Dr. Regal remained there while looking unmoved.

"Believe in me, you say? Throwing your life away to tell me such a worthless thing… The earthquake sensations are getting shorter… It'd seem that the final moment has finally come… Inherit into the next generation…? If only I'd realized that sooner… No, I won't say anything… I'm a scientist who lives in the "Dark" and whose heart is stained by evil… I won't return to normal anymore." He muttered with obvious resignation and lack of fear of the end.

"It ain't too late yet." A voice suddenly rang out.

"F-Father… W-why are you here?" Dr. Regal gasped and didn't seem to believe what he was seeing.

Dr. Wily suddenly came in: he had changed his clothing ever since the "Proto Incident" several months ago and now sported a full-body jacket colored gray with two rows of blackish buttons the inner side of which was colored red, a small skull on the neck's opening, and his usual black pants plus shoes: he also carried a wooden staff with a skull atop it on his right hand.

"As a scientist and… As a father… To fulill my duty… Re-activate, "Heart Network"…" He merely replied.

The glowing matrix came up again but Dr. Regal didn't look surprised by it.

"W-what do you intend to do! "Heart Network" can't affect me because I carry "Magne Metal"!" He exclaimed as he showed him a piece of the ore.

"Hmpf… Who do you think was the one who designed the "Heart Server"…? _Overload_! "Heart Server"!" Dr. Wily reminded him.

"Uwa~h!" Dr. Regal suddenly clutched his head as if he was suffering a headache beyond imagination.

"I'll stimulate your memory centers and delete the memories of an interval of over ten years… You'll return to a pure white status so that you can try again…" Dr. Wily announced.

"Uwa~h!"

Dr. Regal collapsed into the ground from the shock and Dr. Wily sighed with a hint of guilt to his voice.

"It's the least atonement I can do for not guiding your into the right path. Barrel, handle the rest…" He wondered before he called out to Barrel who'd suddenly come inside.

"Yeah." Barrel confirmed.

He managed to carry both unconscious men out and fled along with Dr. Wily to the outside where a chopper was waiting: they both climbed into it and quickly lifted off as Mt. Fuji's crater began to get active and new veins of magma opened: the Nebula home base was rumbling and shaking too.

"Soon enough…" Barrel muttered.

Indeed: the eruption came without warning and the expulsion of hot magma, stone and smoke annihilated the whole building: the shockwave did make the chopper sway but it soon stabilized.

"No need for demolishing." Barrel muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Who the hell would build a base in a volcano's crater, anyway?"

"Guess he thought no-one would think of looking there."

"Whatever. Just let's get away from here. And you know my orders."

"I know. You aren't involved."

16:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Mama! We're home!"

"Netto! Thank goodness…! Ah! What happened to your hair?"

"Eh… They tinted it different… But I brought Saito – niisan back too… But Papa…"

"What happened to Yuuichirou – san?"

Netto made it to his home and Haruka gasped when she saw him: even though he'd taken off the contacts his hair was still dyed black and it looked different.

"Well… He wanted to try to talk with Regal, so… He stayed behind… He promised to us that he'd come after us ASAP but… We had to flee the summit because the volcano was about to erupt…" Saito explained from inside of the PET.

"Yuuichirou – san…! It couldn't be…!" She was pale by now.

"Don't fret, ma'am."

"Huh? Barrel – san! W-when did you…?"

Barrel had suddenly shown up on the threshold.

"I rescued Hikari – hakase. I brought him to the hospital."

"Is that so? Oh thank goodness!"

"Yikes!"

Netto quickly picked a chair to allow Haruka to sit there because it looked like she'd almost fainted.

"Eh… Can you give us a hand, Barrel – san?"

"Yeah. Sorry for not knocking."

He picked some room temperature water and helped Haruka drink it: some color got back to her and Netto clasped her right hand as if to try to comfort her…

10:45 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday March the 21st…

"…Guys. You did a good work back during our battle against Nebula. Nebula's been dismantled and we're progressing in our job of confiscating the "Dark Chips". With this the work of we "Team of Colonel" is over."

A ceremony was being held in the Science Labs Command Room: all of the "Team of Colonel" members plus Yuuichirou (who had to use clutches to keep his balance) and Netto (now having regained his usual hair coloring and clothing) were present.

"By the way, Barrel… What became of Regal after that?" Dark Miyabi asked in a dull tone of voice.

"Who knows? The only thing I can say is that the "Leader" of Nebula _Dr_. Regal doesn't exist in this world anymore." He replied.

"…I-it's better for the world to get rid of that heinous guy, yeah…"

"Hmpf… And, also, before we disband our "Team" I thought that we should receive some words from Hikari Yuuichirou – hakase… Well then, Hikari – hakase…" Barrel requested.

"Thanks to you guys' efforts the world was saved. Thank you. You've done a great job. I know I'm switching topics but I wanted to say that today a new scientist will be joining we Science Labs."

"I'm wondering what his specialty is. Maybe they have ideas regarding new Network systems?" Laika wondered while bringing the right hand to his chin.

"Well then. Come in."

To everyone's (save for Yuuichirou's and Barrel's) astonishment Dr. Regal walked in and stood between both men in the center of the room without muttering anything.

"… Ah! M-Mr. Barrel! Didn't ya say that Regal wasn't in this world anymore?" Nenji asked him.

"The "Leader" of Nebula isn't… I did say that yet…"

"Which means that…?" Pride seemed to guess the answer.

"Dr. Regal. He's joining the Science Labs starting today."

"I am please to meet you… Regal." He introduced himself.

"He doesn't have any memories of the past decade… Yet his science technology is the true stuff. He'll be walking into a new lifestyle as a fair scientist … Make sure to be nice to him." Yuuichirou told them with a broad smile.

"I-is that alright?" Netto asked.

"Well…" Enzan seemed to have his doubts too.

"Hmpf… Regal isn't the Regal he used to be anymore…"

"I see… Well… Then it should be alright!" Netto sighed in relief and formed a wide smile.

"…"Team of Colonel" is now disbanded!"

"…I even feel a bit sad… Yet they have been really entertaining days… Even after returning to Cream Land I won't forget these happenings." Pride sighed.

"You mean that we'll be returning to our core jobs… Next time we meet we may be enemies, even… Heh, heh, heh." Dark Miyabi made a little chuckle.

"Heh! I'll make use of this experience and produce new fireworks to shoot out!"

"It was a rather dangerous mission but… Well. Guess we should rejoice at the outcome."

"I'm going to return to my home town… It was for a short time but I feel lonely to have to part with everyone." Jasmine sobbed, even.

_So it ends here. I feel somewhat lonely, even._ Enzan inwardly though and couldn't help but look somewhat sad.

"What's wrong, Ijuuin Enzan? Feeling lonely?" Barrel asked.

Enzan gasped and quickly put on his unfriendly face as he turned around to face Barrel.

"Who is gonna be lonely" He snapped at him.

"… Heh, heh, heh! Everyday Enzan is here! But we're always linked anyway!" Netto giggled.

"Hmpf… True… Well, should I get going too…? I've finished my business, anyway." Barrel calmly shrugged his shoulders.

"Mr. Barrel…"

"Barrel – san…"

"Who are you, Mr. Barrel?" Enzan asked.

"I'm no – one, just Barrel…" He simply replied.

"Mr. Barrel! We'll meet again, right?" Enzan called out as Barrel was about to come out.

"What need is there to a meeting if we're always connected?" He replied.

"Yeah!"

"Guess so…"

No sooner had Barrel come out than Dekao, Meiru and Yaito rushed into the room.

"Guys!" Netto greeted.

"The local folk came." Enzan muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Netto! You're… THE man!" Dekao laughed.

"If it was cha then I knew cha could do it!" Yaito grinned.

"Welcome back, Netto!"

"Like I thought: smiles are what fit children the most. We must create a future in which children across the world will be able to laugh together like that." Yuuichirou muttered.

"Yes. That is our job, after all." Dr. Regal politely replied.

"That could be good, sir." Enzan animated him.

"Huh? The vacation is about to end?" Netto gasped.

"But of course. Since the threat of Nebula is gone then we elementary students must return to our everyday study." Yaito replied.

"… HUH! I haven't been able to play - at all! Right! Let's go to the Internet! Enzan told me about an interesting place to see named "Past Vision"!" Netto gasped but came up with an idea.

"Jeez. Ya don't look like a guy who's fought with the world at stake!"

"That's the typical Netto, ya see!" Meiru giggled.

"Jeez! Netto – kun! Let me rest for a bit too!" Rock Man protested next.

"Come on! Don't say that! It's been a while since you've been able to play with Guts Man and the guys too!"

"Well… That's true, but…" Rock Man trailed off.

"Heh. Have fun. My job's waiting for me too…" Enzan announced.

"Indeed, sir." Blues confirmed.

"See, see? If it's settled then let's go ASAP! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!" Netto exclaimed as he drew his PET.

"Plug In! Transmission!" The other three exclaimed.

"See you, Hikari, Rock Man. Stay sharp for our next meeting." Enzan challenged him.

"That's my motto, Enzan!"

"Well. I guess I won't complain. I got most of the spotlight this time around, anyway."

"True, Enzan – sama."

Both blinked each other an eye and formed a challenging smile…

11:03 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Guts! Guts! I'm surprised that there's such an area in the Internet, de guts!"

"Yeah. It's called a "Past Vision"… And it's the Akihara City of year in which both Meiru – chan and Dekao – kun were born."

The quartet had gathered in the old square which in the present was the Akihara Park and were chatting.

"Which means that it's about 11 years ago… So Yaito – sama hadn't been born yet." Glyde muttered.

"But… Now that we're standing in Akihara City I have a mysterious feeling…" Roll admitted.

"Let's explore around the old Akihara City! De guts!"

"I approve!" Roll giggled.

"I approve as well."

"Yeah! Let's go!"

The group wandered around and heard the talks of the local citizens before heading back to the Hikari house.

"Well then! Should we head back?" Glyde asked.

The sound of the door opening from inside of the house rang out and everyone tensed.

"W-who could it be…?"

"Maybe… Nebula grunts?" Roll ventured.

"G-guys. We can't lower the guard." Rock Man tried to sound confident but he was inwardly gulping.

The door sound rang out again but it was closer: Rock Man took a step backwards, even.

"Coming!" He warned.

The sounds suddenly died down.

"Huh?"

"Gau!"

"Wha!"

Rock Man toppled over as Gau came out of the house and barked at him all of a sudden: he gasped.

"You're Gau! You're alright!" He exclaimed.

"Gau! Gau!" Gau barked.

"I saw it, de guts! Rock Man's weakness is dogs, de guts!" Guts Man exclaimed all of a sudden.

"W-wrong!"

"…But Rock Man… You turned over when the dog barked at you, de guts!"

"Well… That's…"

"Gau!" He barked again.

"Guts!" Guts Man got startled.

"See, Guts Man! You got startled, right?" Rock Man told him.

"But Rock Man jumped up a little bit, de guts." Guts Man argued back with a chuckle.

"I'm telling you I didn't!" Rock Man protested.

"Gau! Gau! Gau!"

They got startled and jumped off the ground for a second before forming smiles.

"Heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Rock Man laughed as if breaking off the tension.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" The whole group laughed as if expressing their relief.

"Netto, Rock Man… And everyone else: please listen. Papa and the others, so as to build a society in which everyone can come to an understanding, are doing their best… But to create the society that Grandpa & co. and I wish there are several obstacles to tackle and it will still take a long time to… So I think…" Yuuichirou called out.

"We get it! Our generation, and the generation after … No matter how many obstacles there are or how much time is needed… Until the day in which that ideal becomes a reality… We'll keep on passing down the beliefs of both Papa and the others and also of grandpa and the others! Right, guys?"

"Yup!" Meiru confirmed.

"Obviously!" Yaito giggled.

"Me too!" Dekao exclaimed.

_Dad. The seeds of ideals I received from you have been seeded. One day… They'll bloom into a great flower…_ Yuuichirou thought as if reflecting.

He sighed and then cleared his throat while forming a smile.

"Alright, guys! There's a party at home tonight! Mama is waiting to treat us at home!" He let out.

"A party, you say! OK! Rock Man! Guys! Plug – Out!"

"Yup! OK, guys! Let's go!" Rock Man rallied.

They all performed Plug-Out and left Gau alone, there, in front of the Hikari House, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Gau!" He barked.

"Heh, heh, heh. Have fun! But… The real challenge is to come… To tackle on the "Dark World"… And come out alive!" "Demon Prince" giggled as he came out of hiding behind the house.

"Yessir. Come anytime! Hikari! Rock Man!" "Demon King" challenged next.

They laughed aloud in an evil tone of voice…


	18. Chapter 18: Dark World

**Chapter 18: Dark World**

09:48 AM (Japan Time), Saturday March the 25th…

"… Hmmm…"

"Netto – kun… I'm not your personal alarm clock."

"Hmmm…"

"Here."

"Yikes!"

"Awake?"

"Aw man! You now love to come out with the robot thing and pinch me to wake me up!"

"A little payback of mine, ya see…"

Netto had been sleeping when Rock Man pinched his right cheek to wake him up and made a slightly smug smile.

"It's almost 10 o'clock too. So get moving. We've got work."

"What "work"? Today's a Saturday!" Netto protested.

"Yeah? And you're gonna let those two laugh at us?"

"Those two…! The cloaked villains…?" Netto gasped.

"Yeah. They sent us a mail with a challenge. We gotta find some "5 Guys" scattered across the Cyber World and gather 100 Standard Chips before going to talk with a golden Program – kun in Reverse Internet 2 who will allow us into their hideout." Rock Man summed up.

"Then I'm gonna tackle it! _Banzai_~!" Netto jumped off the bed in a challenging pose.

"But before that you need to do several things: fix the bed. Have a shower. Dress up. Have breakfast." Rock Man listed.

"I knew that! Here I go~!"

10:37 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Look! That black-colored Navi wasn't there before… Maybe it's one of the "5 Guys"?"

"Let's try talking to them…"

"I am one of the 5 Guys who guard the sleeping door in the depths of the Reverse Internet… To open the door you must win the challenges of us 5 Guys. Do you have the courage to take on my challenge?"

Rock Man had made it to a spot of End Area 4 where a black Navi was standing: he spoke in a register similar to Shadow Man's.

"Obviously!" Netto grinned.

"Well then let us go! Splendidly overcome my challenge!"

The black Navi summoned flame-type Viruses and Rock Man fought them: Netto grinned and picked a Battle Chip.

"Battle Chip, Ocean Seed! Slot In!"

"Hrah!"

"There! Triple Delete!" Netto grinned.

"…Splendid! I've indeed witnessed your true strength. The door won't open unless we 5 Guys are beaten. Seek my companions scattered across the Cyber World." The Navi told him.

"You heard it, Rock Man! Let's go bust more guys! These are strong-level guys!" Netto grinned.

"But let's not recklessly charge in either." Rock Man warned.

"I know, I know! _Let's go~_!"

"Jeez. You're so stubborn, Netto – kun!" Rock Man complained.

He rushed away and failed to spot Kanou Shade's Net Navi looking at him from the upper road.

"Interesting. Can you do it, gentlemen?"

11:48 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew! Those other 4 guys said the same thing but their specialties were different… Water, normal plus wind pulling, normal again plus wind pushing and electrical… What guys!"

"See?"

"Jeez."

Netto sounded exhausted after he'd found and beaten the other "5 Guys" while Rock Man made his way to a corner of the Reverse Internet 2 where a golden Program – kun was located at.

"I am the chaotic "Dark World"… The one who opens the door to "Nebula Hole Area"… I shall only open the door to the "Nebula Hole Area" to the one who was defeated a grand "Dark" and who also yields 100 "S" fragments… And thou have those qualifications… If thou desire it then I shall open the door into the "Dark World"… However, once the door has been opened then the Viruses which have been brutalized by the "Dark Power" will slip into this world… Do you want to open the door to the "Nebula Hole Area"?" The Program – kun warned.

"Hmmm… If that's the price to pay then… Yeah!" Netto decided.

"…You seem prepared… Mu~h… Hah! The road is open, go on ahead…" He announced.

He formed a large swirl behind him and Rock Man walked towards it while gulping: the very air seemed to be heavier than usual and a feeling of dread radiated out of the swirl.

"Netto – kun…! I can feel an incredible "Dark Power" within these depths… Do you really want to go in?"

"Yeah! I'm not gonna get cold feet now!"

"Yup, gotcha… Let's go, Netto – kun!"

Rock Man jumped inside of the swirl and stepped into a new area filled with "Dark Panels" so he gasped.

"These are… "Dark Panels"! We've been training with the "Liberate Missions" replays so…" He muttered.

"So this is a "Liberation Mission"… But there are no "Team" members by now… And we weren't part of the "Team" either. Can Rock Man alone "Liberate" this area…?" Netto wondered.

"We're inside of the "Nebula Hole"… We don't have the means to contact the guys. We gotta do it, Netto – kun." Rock Man settled.

"But…" Netto argued.

"Heroism is not about being reckless, Rock Man." A voice suddenly rang out.

"Huh…?"

Colonel suddenly came in and Rock Man gasped.

"Huh! You're Colonel, right?" Netto asked.

"So you've come…! But why are you here? Eh… Hum… I think we haven't had a proper introduction. I'm Rock Man." He introduced himself just in case.

"… I located Rock Man's signature within the victiny of the dangerous space of the Nebula Hole… As a "Leader" I can't overlook a member who comes into a dangerous space… And there's no need for introductions either." Colonel told him.

"Thank you, Colonel! Between the two of us we might be able to somehow "Liberate" it!" Rock Man got animated.

"No. Not just the two of us." Colonel corrected with a welcoming smile.

"Huh…?"

At that moment Knight Man, Napalm Man and Search Man came inside of the area as well.

"Hum, hum! If there is a campaign… Then… I, Knight Man, will rush to anywhere!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"If there was gonna be gun-firing then ya should've rung me up, man! I'm Napalm Man and ya count on me for battle strength!" Napalm Man exclaimed.

"We're in the same "Team". Single actions on your own aren't a good idea. And I'm glad of seeing you again too." Search Man told him.

"Guys…"

"Given how my extraordinary calling was abrupt… We can only count on those three for the time being…" Colonel warned.

"Nope, as long as everyone is around we're like a hundred guys." Rock Man relieved Colonel.

"Heh. Then let's go and "Liberate" within this hatred – swriling world ASAP! The targeted "Liberation" is within 12 "Phases"! Well then, let's go!" Colonel leaded.

"By the way… Who's in charge of this area?" Netto wondered.

"The worst type of opponent ever." Rock Man grumbled.

He signaled the north and Netto gasped upon spotting Shade Man in the spot of the boss along with "Demon Prince" and "Demon King" standing at his sides.

"You two! Show your hides!" Netto challenged.

"Nope, nope. It's too early! You're just at the very entrance… You need to get to the deepest spot and overcome all trials!" "Demon King" announced with a giggle.

"Like he says…" "Demon Prince" giggled too.

"Che. Bothersome rubbish." Colonel grumbled.

"My, my." Both teased.

"Grah! I so wanna blow them up!" Napalm Man cursed and began to swing his arms.

"Cool it down." Search Man snapped.

"Yea! This is not a walk into the park." Knight Man warned.

"Well then! Shall I tell you about the battle aboard the _SS Unicorn_? It went like this… Back in the year 1698, the _Unicorn_, a fair third-ranked vessel of Louis XIV's fleet, came out of the St. Domingo Island in the Antilles and was heading back to Europe, carrying a cargo of… hum… Well. There was a bit of everything plus rum… Two days after departure, the _Unicorn_ was sailing with a favorable breeze tackling starboard and calmly riding when a cry rang out from the watch-post…" "Demon King" began.

"Whoa, whoa! That's WAY too long ago! Boring!" Napalm Man exclaimed as he dealt with some Viruses.

"… "Sail to portside!"… "Oh, oh! It's cutting through the wind, this fellow… Let the devil bite me if they don't intend to cut our route off!"… Said the Chevalier of Haddock, captain of the ship, as he looked out through the viewing glass… "It's sailing roughly well… Ah. They're lifting the banner. Let's see…! The black banner! The filibusters!"… So he cursed." "Demon Prince" continued the narration.

"Yikes! They were gonna be boarded, then?" Netto gasped.

"Ki, ki… You'll get into trouble if you go and underestimate the "Darkloids"!" Shade Man interrupted as he warped and tried to hit Rock Man yet Knight Man automatically blocked him off.

"Thanks, Knight Man!" Rock Man thanked.

"Don't mind it!"

"… "Hey! Combat formation! Everyone into the deck! Get ready to turn, tighten the wind!"… And turning upon the edge by unfolding all of her canvases and risking snapping the masts, the _Unicorn_ also tightens the wind to escape the terrible Coasts Brothers… "No good, blistering barnacles! They're gaining speed!"…"

"I can feel the tension already." Netto grimly muttered.

"Yeah… Me too…" Rock Man admitted as he used a Drill Arm to destroy a Virus.

"Good, good…" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"… They were trying to escape the pirates for the time being. Then the captain decided to execute a risky maneuver… They would turn in a jib and shift portside and thus set their height towards the pirates so as to get attached to them and board… Settled, then, they went for it… "Ready to spin! Let down! Gunners, to your posts!"…" "Demon King" kept on.

"Ram into the pirates, you mean to say? Whoa!"

"… The _Unicorn_ spun starboard side. Taken aback by the maneuver the pirates don't have time to change their course… And soon the royal vessel looms over them… Attention! "FIRE!"…!"

"What happened next? They sunk them?" Netto eagerly asked.

"Gotta admit it, I'm feeling the tension of it, too." Rock Man muttered.

"… "Hit!"… Hit, yes. But that wasn't enough to shake them off the pursuit... The pirates turn starboard too and, suddenly, witness! Atop their highest mast… What's that new banner?"

"Demon King" suddenly seized the neck area of the cloak "Demon Prince" wore and aimed a cutlass at him.

"The red banner! The merciless banner! Neither side shall show mercy: that's what it means! And no prisoners will be taken! Gotcha? If we are defeated then we'll be slaughtered!" He nervously exclaimed in a rush while sounding resolved.

"Y-yeah, gotcha! No need for dramatics! Thank you very much!" He protested.

"Demon King" let go and held the cutlass upwards: he suddenly spotted how Colonel finished up with the last "Dark Hole" and the group was gathering in front of them so both hovered into the air.

"Ahem, ahem! The pirates then resume the pursuit… They're coming closer… Coming closer to us… Onboard the _Unicorn_ everyone feels dry-throated… Tightening on the winds the pirates easily slip behind the _Unicorn_…"

"Uh-oh." Netto muttered.

"… Thus avoiding the fire from the guns and approaches again… And brusquely, when being about 40 meters from the _Unicorn_, they quickly slip behind the ship's stern like this…"

"The advent of doom…!" Knight Man gasped as he finished freeing the "Dark Panels" around Shade Man.

"…Ki, ki, ki… I wouldn't have thought that you'd be able to even make it inside of this "Nebula Hole"…"

"Shade Man! Just what is further ahead?" Colonel demanded.

"If you want to know then you've got no other choice but to beat me and advance on ahead… This world is filled with "Dark Power"… Can you defeat the current me…? Ki, ki, ki…" Shade Man giggled.

"Coming, Colonel! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Crush Noise!"

"Screen Divide!"

"… Then they resume their earlier direction…. The two ships are in the meanwhile side to side… The boarding will happen from one moment to the other! There they are! The pirates shoot hooks out, hop! And amidst ferocious yells the filibusters jump onboard the _Unicorn_… Aya~h! Boarding! Allow me! Allow me to defend myself! You can clearly see that the pirates are boarding us! Back up, pirates! Back up, vermin! Back up, woodlice! Back up, rascals!" He began to swing his cutlass like mad.

"A~h! What horror!" Netto was terrified by now.

"This is the power of _partner_'s narration skills!"

"… Gi, gi~! I am suffering such humiliation once again…! Gi, gi, gi~!"

Colonel finished Shade Man off and the two villains quickly fled northwards: Netto let out a groan.

"Hey! Tell us how the thing ended like!"

"If you can make it to Area 3 we'll tell you!" "Demon Prince" shouted back at them.

"Our word!" "Demon King" added.

The area recovered its purplish and creepy coloring while everyone sighed in relief.

"Everyone. Well done. It'd seem that this area is those guys' _territory_… We can't know what'll happen if we move around recklessly. Hurrying on ahead isn't a good idea. Let's Plug-Out once and rebuild our plan." Colonel told them.

Everyone save Rock Man left: he suddenly got into a fighting pose and looked around.

"What's wrong, Rock Man?"

"I can feel a really great power…" Rock Man muttered.

"Great power?" Netto wondered.

"Destroyer of evil…" A voice boomed out.

"W-who…!"

"…An even greater evil power is swirling further ahead… Join the strengths of you and your companions and defeat the greater evil…" The voice announced.

A Battle Chip suddenly floated down from the "skies" into the ground and Rock Man gasped.

"This is… "Justice One J"…! Mega Chip…!"

"Keep on ahead… And defeat the greater evil…"

"The presence is leaving…"

"W-what the heck was that?" Netto wondered.

"Netto – kun! Let's keep on ahead!" Rock Man rallied.

"W-what's up with you all of a sudden?"

"I dunno why but I've got the feeling that I gotta keep on ahead…"

"That voice, huh… But that could be a trap by Nebula too…"

"Nope, that voice wasn't a Nebula guy. I've got that feeling."

"… Gotcha. Let's go, Rock Man! And let's beat this "great evil" guy too!"

"Yup!"

Rock Man stepped into the next area which was less bright and sparsely populated save for a Battle Chip vendor: he eventually found a door blocking the way into the next area.

"…Hum, hum… Prove the power. Prove the power to gather 140 "S" fragments…" An auto-voice commanded.

"Aw man…! Now we gotta go fetch another… 30 "S" Chips? What a bother! They could've told us earlier! But it's true that I've been focused on gathering "M" Chips too…" Netto muttered.

"Can't be helped. Let's go out and close the door to avoid more powered-up Viruses from coming out and harming others."

"No, no need, gentlemen. I foresaw this."

Kanou Shade's Navi walked up to them and Rock Man gasped.

"Who…?"

"My. We haven't had an introduction yet I'm afraid… Kanou Shade. I came up with those raw ore pendants…"

"Oh. Enzan – kun told us about you…" Rock Man recalled.

"So… What did you mean?" Netto asked.

"I bring several "S" Battle Chips… Given how other times you've had to fulfill similar requirements to access secretive areas I thought the pattern would be repeated…"

"Oh! True, true!" Netto recalled.

"Here you have, gentlemen. Good luck. I'll be watching."

He walked away in a rush while Rock Man interacted with the door again: a light scanned him and then the door beeped.

"You have proven the power!"

Rock Man rushed into Area 3 only to find it occupied and pending "Liberation" so he grumbled.

"It'd seem this is also a "Liberation Mission" from the looks of it…"

"Yup… Jeez. Another one? I thought Area 1 was hard enough: you're telling me this is gonna be even harder?" Rock Man complained.

"How lovely!" Netto cursed.

Search Man, Shadow Man and Meddy came in that moment and Rock Man smiled, feeling relieved.

"Guys!"

"As usual… You're pushing it, Rock Man." Shadow Man calmly told him.

"I'll go into a shooting spree in this area too!" Napalm Man laughed and swung his arms.

"Sorry I didn't come earlier. This time I'll make sure to provide support. I'm Meddy, by the way. Nice to meet you, Rock Man." Meddy announced.

"Thanks, guys! But… Huh? Colonel's isn't there?" Netto asked.

"Colonel said there was something he had to investigate… He said he'd found the signature of a Navi holding gigantic hatred power within the "Nebula Hole Area"…" Search Man informed.

"Hatred power, huh…"

"What could be waiting further ahead…?" Rock Man wondered while bringing the right hand to his chin.

"We gotta check it out by ourselves! Well then, start "Liberation"! The targeted "Liberation" is within 14 "Phases"! Well, let's go!"

"Now we have to face… That guy. Cloud Man." Search Man announced as he pointed at the very end of the area: there didn't seem to be a road to keep onwards.

"He's the one who kidnapped _Buruusu_ and then had Colonel be captured by Nebula when he shielded Meddy from him, right?" Rock Man recalled with a grimace.

"Indeed." Shadow Man confirmed.

"… Well! Like we said… Let's continue! "Leave this guy to me, my fellows! I'll kill him myself!" … "Come, you smallpox sequel!" … "Ah! You want to slay me, old gherkin? You mustard plaster! Miserable! Ah! You want to slay me? Well then! Here you have, you centipede! Ah! This is how it is, you big bullies? So you try to attack me from the rear then! Here you have! Have at you, bards!" …!" "Demon King" continued.

"Whoa, whoa." Netto muttered.

"A campaign…" Shadow Man sounded slightly amused.

"… Well. After that something hit the Chevalier of Haddock from the rear and knocked him out: the pirates gained control of the ship and left him alive because they wanted to avenge the death of their lieutenant while they turned the ship theirs: their former ship was severely damaged and would soon sink… The leader of the pirates, Red Rackham ordered for the looted treasure to be brought aboard…" "Demon Prince" narrated.

"What happened next?" Netto asked.

"Let's allow Cloud Man to make his moves firstly."

"Come over already…! A stormy greeting is waiting for you guys…!"

"Ahem, ahem… Well… The _Unicorn_ parked in the bay of a small unnamed island and the pirates began to feast on the rum…"

"Thus the Chevalier escaped and picked a cutlass. Taking profit of their drunkenness he slipped into the ship's armory. He decided he'd sink his ship with the pirates on it so he turned on a fuse headed for the powder barrels… Yet Red Rackham intercepted him!"

"A cutlass duel, then?" Rock Man guessed as he blew up one of the Roy Hawk guardians.

"Yessir. Ahem, ahem… "Ah! You dog! Found you! You wanted to blow us up! I won't give you the pleasure! I'll slice you while I put off the fuse! By Lucifer! I'll make you swallow your beard! You porcupine!" … "And I'll unfetter you, exotic parrot! Carnival filibuster! Rookie pirate! Anthropoid!"…!" "Demon King" exclaimed.

Both he and his accomplice drew cutlasses and began to recreate the duel: even Cloud Man looked surprised given how he was looking at them as they dueled in mid-air.

"… "No matter how much you step back you won't elude me!" … "I'll be the one to grill you, old sperm whale!"… And while battling the chevalier glances at the fuse which will soon light the powder… And, suddenly, while halting a blow, he jumps sideways and… Hop! With his heel he puts the fuse out!" "Demon Prince" narrated as he recreated the gesture and stepped into invisible floor.

"Too close!" Rock Man gasped.

"…"And in the meanwhile, Red Rack, I am getting upset!"…!"

"Demon King" suddenly spun around his axis towards the right and out of view.

BANG!

BOUM!

DZINNG!

CRAC!

"… "Victory! Red Rackham is done! Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!"

"That last part was weird." Meddy muttered.

"… "There! May God forgive all of his sins! I've wasted enough time: a new fuse… And let's get out! No – one's looking: they're all cheering. Let's get to the boat..!" …"

"Whoa."

"And so he used the oar boat to get away while none of the pirates paid attention… He was close to the shore when a large explosion origination on the rear cleaved the ship in half and blew everything up! "Horray! Justice has been made!" …!" "Demon Prince" finished with a reverence.

"Whoa. So cool." Netto whistled in surprise.

"The compliments go to Hergé – sama."

"And his album _The Secret of the _Unicorn…! Oh! There goes the last "Dark Hole"… They're handling it pretty well even without Blues or Colonel…"

"Hum, hum… So you've been able to come to these ends…" Cloud Man muttered as Napalm Man faced him.

"Yay! Cloud Man! Just what's up ahead?"

"The place where all hatred gathers… A blackish and deep "Dark" like the "Obscure Clouds" I control…" He dramatically intoned.

"All hatred?"

"Heh, heh, heh. I'm now going to trap you inside of that "Dark"!" Cloud Man chuckled.

"Coming, Napalm Man! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Tell me this is the last "Liberation Mission" in the world." Netto called out to the two cloaked figures.

"Nope."

"Oh you can't be serious!" He groaned.

"Heh, heh, heh. You'd prefer 10 consecutive Virus Busting to these instead, Hikari?" "Demon King" laughed.

"How intriguing!" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"Don't laugh at me!" Netto grumbled.

"Who said we're laughing at you?" "Demon King" asked.

"No-one did!" "Demon Prince" replied.

"Che! Good! Counter Hit scored! Area Steal! Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword! GO~!"

"Horrya~h!" Napalm Man exclaimed.

"G-guoh…! Even the great I got defeated…! But it'd better if you think that you won't go be returning unharmed… Hoh, hoh, hoh! Guo~h!" Cloud Man uttered as he got deleted.

The area was restored to normal and the group was able to sit on the floor given their tiredness.

"What a brutally difficult area! Good work, guys! Thanks to everyone's power we managed to make the "Liberation" be a success… But I think that in the battles that await us we'll be in full need of Colonel's power, so let's not overdo it now and disband for now. " Rock Man groaned but changed his tone to try to sound calm.

"I'll be lookin' forward to the next battle!"

Both Search Man and Shadow Man made no comments and merely shrugged their shoulders.

"Let's do our best in the next mission too!"

"…Yup! Guys! Make sure to properly rest and ready for next battle! Alright, disband!" He commanded.

"Disband a band of bands?" "Demon King" joked.

"Netto – kun! Let's hurry on ahead too!"

"Yeah!"

Rock Man headed over to Cloud Man's position and spotted another golden-colored Program – kun: both villains were hovering above him and seemingly waiting for something.

_What are these two waiting for, anyway?_

"I am the one who opens the door to the chaotic "Dark World"… One who owns both the power to defeat a great "Dark" and posseses 140 "S" fragments… Shall I open the door to further "Dark"? However, if you open the door to the further "Dark World" then Viruses holding even greater power shall slip outside… If you say "yea" despite that then I shall open the door to the further "Dark World"…" He warned.

"Even more powerful Viruses wait on ahead…! But we won't back away having come this far!" Netto muttered.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

"Hum, hum… You seem prepared… Mu~h! Hah! The road is open, go on ahead."

Another swirl opened and both villains rushed in followed by Rock Man: he began to move around the maze-like area filled with doors in need of some conditions to be unlocked.

"We can check those later. Let's move on ahead!"

"Roger."

Rock Man reached the deepest spot of the area and found another door blocking his path so he interacted with it.

"… Hum, hum… Prove the power… Prove the power to gather 40 "M" fragments…"

"We have… 38! We need another 2."

"Allow me to provide them."

"Kanou – san?"

Kanou Shade's Navi met up with them and handed them the necessary Battle Chip data so Rock Man turned to face the door.

"You have proven the power!"

"Here: some restocks of Full Energies and other Sub Chips… You'll be in need of them I think. Oh. And the rest of the "S" Chips." He told them.

"Why are you helping us?" Netto asked.

"Well: isn't it on everyone's interest to end with the danger Nebula and its remains pose?" He pointed out.

"Well. True…" Netto muttered.

"He's got a point. Let's go, Netto – kun! To Area 5 we go!"

"_Good luck_."

Rock Man unlocked another door which demanded 180 "S" Chips and ran inside of Area 5: his jaw hit the floor on seeing how huge this area was and that both Blizzard Man and Cosmo Man were guarding it: there were several "Dark Holes" and a lot of "Barrier Panels" too.

"By all the…"

"This place… It feels like the last "Liberation"." Netto muttered aloud with obvious nervousness.

"Yup. I can feel the hatred power drifting from that deepest point…" Rock Man weakly muttered.

Colonel, Shadow Man, Knight Man and Meddy came inside of the area on that same moment.

"Colonel!" Rock Man greeted.

"Rock Man. This has the looks of being the last "Liberation Area"…" He announced as he scanned the terrain.

"… Yup… Oh yes! By the way, Colonel… What about that investigation of yours?" Rock Man asked of him.

"Yeah. Regarding the "something" in the area deeper in…" Colonel cleared his throat.

"What exactly is it?" Netto asked.

"…The throne of the "Chaos King"…!"

"… "Chaos King"…!"

"… All of the hatred power existing in the Cyber World is born flowing and eventually ends up there… That power is a shapeless being… Chaos King…" He detailed.

"Then… The voice who guided us was that "Chaos King"…?"

"…No. That voice was more like a noble existence, in my opinion…" Rock Man firmly replied.

"So! You guys alone will be the ones to check it out. Good, the targeted "Liberation" is within 16 "Phases"… Let's go! "Team of Colonel", last "Liberation"!" Colonel exclaimed.

"Yup!"

"Ou!"

"So! You've come all the way here. This is the last trial you'll face as a "Team" yet the hardest of trials are waiting for you guys!" "Demon King" told them.

"Yeah! And let's bring up _partner_'s French lesssons!"

"_Car le coupable, le voici_!"

"… "It's clear enough: the culprit is you!"…" Colonel muttered.

"… _Coupable, moi? Vous osez m'accuser? Misérables vers de terre! Cornichons!"_

"… "Me, the culprit? You dare accuse me? Miserable earthly worms! You pickles!" … Hmpf." Colonel was unimpressed.

"Oho. Hard to surprise guy, eh?" "Demon Prince" giggled.

"Heh, heh, heh… You'll become spatial dust before you can even come all the way here…" Cosmo Man chuckled.

"This area is gonna be revamped into an exclusive Nebula ski slope! You won't get in the way!" Blizzard Man exclaimed.

"Let's keep on ahead! It'll be long and hard but we can do it!" Rock Man rallied the others.

"… _Cloportes! Négriers! Coléopteres! Sapajous!"_

"… "Woodlouses! Slavers! Beetles! Monkeys!"…"

"… _Topinambours! Vermicelles! Phylloxéra! Pyrophores! ..._!"

"… "Artichokes! Vermicelli! Phylloxera! Fireflies!"…"

"That's some weird vocabulary, yeah…" Netto muttered.

"Some of those sound pretty old-fashioned too…"

"… _Coloquintes! Zigomars! Gargarismes! Emplâtres! ..._!"

"… "Colocynths! Cheekbones! Gargles! Plasters!"…!"

"Then again… Just what's so bad with telling someone they're a "plaster"?" Meddy wondered.

"… I'll have you sink in the universe's "Dark"… Cosmo Planet!" Cosmo Man announced his field attack.

"Shiver from the snow's coldness! Snow Ball!"

The members withstood both attacks and cleared a pathway to face Blizzard Man.

"Hyururu~! So you've come all the way here! But I won't let you keep on ahead! Hyururu~! I'll freeze ya!" He exclaimed.

"Coming, Hikari Netto!" Colonel exclaimed back.

"Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"… _Bandits! Gredins! Gangsters_!"

"… "Bandits! Rascals! Gangsters!" … How lame." Search Man drily told the two of them.

"Don't tell us, Mr. Soldier."

"Hyu, wa, wa, wa~! No way…! I've lost…! Uwa~h!" Blizzard Man yelled as he was obliterated.

"Good! Let's make our way to Cosmo Man!"

"Allow me… Sneak Attack!"

Shadow Man warped and fell down from above into Cosmo Man with his Muramasa Blade drawn so he hit him and inflicted damage as Napalm Man used his Napalm Bomb to clear the whole area around him: Rock Man stepped forward.

"Rock Man… I can't let you advance on ahead…"

"Cosmo Man! Are you a pawn of the "Chaos King"?"

"The "Nebula Hole" is, for us "Darkloids", our breath-birthing. That's all. The existence you name "Chaos King" is a being without a shape. It can freely change shapes when faced with those having strong hatred." Cosmo Man explained as he glanced over his right shoulder at the pathway behind him and forming a smug smile.

"What's that about?" Rock Man questioned.

"Go ahead, check it out. If you can defeat me, though." He made a smug grin.

"Coming, Rock Man! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Cosmo Ring!"

"Be careful! This guy is no pushover!" Netto warned.

"Cosmo Planet!"

"Yikes!"

"Soul Unison: Colonel Soul!"

"Screen Divide!"

"Well then! We're waiting ahead of here… _No pain_, _no gain_!" "Demon King" announced.

"Truly."

Both villains giggled and fled the area while Rock Man continued on fighting Cosmo Man on his "V3" form.

"Cosmo Buster!"

"Coming!"

Cosmo Man vanished and gave way to the crack in space which shot out several small planetoids at the group: Rock Man concentrated on dodging them and landing Screen Divides on Cosmo Man to intercept his attacks from afar.

"Alright! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Program Advance! Mugen Vulcan! Take these 800 HP of damage: Rock Man used a Long Blade to score "Counter Hit" and he'll deliver double the usual damage! And we've already taken your HP below 800 too! Fire!" Netto exclaimed.

"MUGEN VULCA~N!"

"T-this shouldn't be…! The cosmic power is unending…! And yet… Why did I lose? Uga~h!" Cosmo Man roared.

"The last "Liberation" of "Team of Colonel" has been completed… Rock Man. You're the one who'll go on ahead. And assess the true colors of "Chaos King"…" Colonel commanded once the area had been freed of the occupation.

"… Yup!"

"Heh. Disband! "Team of Colonel"!"

"Netto – kun! Let's go find out the true colors of "Chaos King"!" Rock Man rallied.

"Yeah!"

"Come! Hikari Netto! Rock Man!" Both villains challenged from deeper inside.

"Here we come!"

"Get ready, ugly guys!"

They finally made it inside of Area 6 and were met with the fact that the area was divided into two heights: the upper height had a road leading towards a "Dark Power" door and there was a way downwards where 6 doors were set to protect 6 flames similar in design to those of "Nebula Grey".

"If you wanna face "Chaos King" then you gotta defeat those 6 challenges down there!" "Demon King" announced.

"Good luck!" "Demon Prince" encouraged.

"Alright!"

Rock Man examined the "Dark Power" door at the end of the upper level pathway.

"Prove the power… Prove the power to face all the "Dark" sleeping within your own self…" A voice challenged.

Rock Man stepped into the lower level and decided to go for the upper right flame: it began to glow as he approached it.

"I am a flame… A flame of deep "Dark" which reflects your heart… The frivolous "Soul" which sees through everything sleeping inside of you… It makes me burn!" A voice rang out.

Shadow Man (colored in a purplish color) suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tried to attack Rock Man.

"I get it! This place is like the "Black Earth" we investigated afrer the Duo incident…! All these flames stand for each of the "Team" members and I gotta beat them all!" Rock Man realized.

"Not that nightmare again!" Netto cursed.

"Heh, heh, heh! And their HP is settled by taking 1% of your total HP and and then multiplying it by 100 times… And are then added up to their base HP…!" "Demon King" let out.

"Enjoy."

"You villains!" Netto cursed.

"We gotta do it… somehow!" Rock Man cursed.

"We'll have to go for Program Advances!"

"I bet they get here in 5 minutes." "Demon King" told his accomplice with a giggle.

"I bet 7."

"Alright. Let's keep on with our gags. Ahem, ahem! _Ah! Sacripant! Ah! Pirate! Ah! Boit-sans-soif!_"

"… "Ah! You pirate! Ah! You rascal! Ah! You drunkard!"…"

"… _Voilà pour toi, cataplasme_!"

"… "Eat this, you cataplasm!"… Oho. Look there."

"What? Oh. They survived the first trial, eh?"

"I am a "Dark Flame"… If you leave this cybernetic land I shall strongly burn again…"

"Bloody hell! And we still have another 5 to defeat! We gotta prepare customized Folders… And maybe we'll need to shift the Navi Customizer programs too!" Netto cursed.

"Yeah… Tell me when you feel ready."

"… Alright. I think I'm ready. Let's try it out."

Rock Man nodded and headed over the flame immediately below this one: he gulped and approached it.

"I am a flame… A flame of deep "Dark" which reflects your heart… The reliable "Soul" which protects the companions sleeping inside of you … It makes me burn!"

Knight Man formed on the field and Rock Man began to fight him while the two cloaked guys kept on with their jokes.

"… _Chauffard! Cyclone! Bachi-Bouzouk! Ecraseur!"_

"… "You road-hog! You cyclone! You foreign irregular! You crusher!"…!"

"I am a "Dark Flame"… If you leave this cybernetic land I shall strongly burn again…"

"And this is just the 2nd…! It's close to 2 PM and I wanna end this before lunch time: I don't wanna undo the whole path!"

"I don't either. We'd have to start from the start save that we've cleared the "Liberation Missions"…" Rock Man cursed.

"3rd one! Whose turn is it now?" Netto grumbled.

"I am a flame… A flame of deep "Dark" which reflects your heart… The leading "Soul" which struggles against everything sleeping inside of you… It makes me burn!"

Colonel appeared next and Rock Man muttered curses under his breath as he risked a glance at the two cloaked guys who didn't seem to be paying attention to him.

"Well! Let's switch topics. Do you remember about the War of the Dwarves and Orcs lasting TA 2793-9?" "Demon King" asked.

"TA? Third Age? Middle-Earth's Third Age, you mean to say… Yeah. Thorin Oakshield's grandfather Thrór was slain as he tried to visit the mines of Moria and the Dwarves vowed revenge so they fought a long and grievous campaign to expel the orcs from Moria lead by Thráin II, his son. And that'd have repercussions later on as seen with the "Battle of the Five Armies" sometime later…" "Demon Prince" recalled.

"I am a "Dark Flame"… If you leave this cybernetic land I shall strongly burn again…"

"Half! Half of them done…! A~h… Rock Man! Are you alright? Mentally, I mean…"

"Yeah. To me they're but fakes."

"Fair enough. Let's go for the left wing ones…" Netto sighed.

"Roger."

"Go, go…" Both giggled.

"…I am a flame… The flame of the deep "Dark" lodged in your heart… The power-using "Soul" sleeping inside of you which smashes it all… That makes me burn!"

"Napalm Man this time…!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"And when did Mr. Baggings set out from Bag End towards Rivendell? Do you know the date?"

"Yeah. September 23rd, TA 3018…"

"When did he reach Rivendell?"

"October the 20th…"

"I am a "Dark Flame"… If you leave this cybernetic land I shall strongly burn again…"

"T-two thirds… Huff, huff…" Rock Man panted.

"Rock Man! Can you keep at it?" Netto asked.

"Yeah… Nothing will stop me! We'll live up to the challenge! We gotta prove that we really can help others!" Rock Man replied.

"Roger!"

"5th one… Either Search Man or Meddy… _Fifty-fifty_!"

"I'm ready to backup you!" Netto confirmed.

"I am a flame… A flame of deep "Dark" which reflects your heart… The wise "Soul" which guides you towards several answers sleeping inside of you… It makes me burn!"

Search Man appeared next and quickly surrounded Rock Man with shots of his "Scope Gun", his "Search Grenades" and the "Satellite Ray" but Rock Man fought back.

"… When does the Company depart Rivendell?" "Demon King" asked.

"Dusk of December the 25th…" "Demon Prince" replied.

"Bravo."

"My turn, then. When did they step into Moria?"

"Hum… January the 13th, TA 3019…" "Demon King" recalled.

"How many days did Gandalf spend summing up his fall plus pursuit of the Balrog to the peak of the Zirakzigil?"

"Hum…! Ah… Yeah! I know. 8 days. From January the 15th to January the 23rd… And they spent two days battling yet Gandalf won on January the 25th… But he passes away and isn't brought back until February the 14th…"

"Excellent."

"I am a "Dark Flame"… If you leave this cybernetic land I shall strongly burn again…"

"F-five outta six…! Meddy is the last one! Can you do it, Rock Man?"

"Y-yeah… If I made it through these 5 I can make it through another one too…!" Rock Man panted.

"I am a flame… A flame of deep "Dark" which reflects your heart… The comforting "Soul" which soothes it all sleeping inside of you … It makes me burn!"

Meddy formed and directed an evil glare and smile at Rock Man: for a moment she seemed to be even more horrific than the other Navi imitations but Rock Man didn't pay attention to it.

"Oi, oi… Was that…?" "Demon King" wondered.

"Ops. Luckily this one can't think or move on its own…"

"Heh! Anyway… More dates! February the 26th… Disbanding of the Company! That's where things start to get intriguing!"

"Yeah… In March the 15th Frodo and Sam escape the Cirith Ungol Tower and begin their march towards Mount Doom…"

"Which they finally reach on March the 25th and then the One Ring is unmade with all of its consequences… The assaults on Lórien and Dale cease as well as the attack on the Host…"

"I am a "Dark Flame"… If you leave this cybernetic land I shall strongly burn again…"

"D-done! Six of them…! Man… I'm worn out!"

"Sit down for a while: there's no rush!" "Demon Prince" invited.

"Yeah. Take your time. Mr. Last trial will wait."

"What the hell! Another trial?"

"Yeah. We'll see how well you fare."

"_No pain_ _no gain_!"

"While they recover… That day symbolically triggers the start of the closing of the Third Age…" "Demon Prince" continued.

"Yeah. And Frodo and Sam were sleeping until April the 8th… Let's not forget that the Shire calendar had 30 days per month." "Demon King" reminded him.

"And the official end of the War of the Ring is set at November the 3rd when Saruman is killed by Wormtongue in Bag End."

"Correct."

"… You have proven the power!"

The "Dark Power" door unlocked and Rock Man came up the ramp to face a gigantic swirl floating next to the northern edge of the platform which emitted a sinister sound.

"…Netto – kun! I can feel an overwhelming power from inside of the swirl…" Rock Man suddenly warned.

"W-what's gonna come out…?" Netto gulped.

"A-a crushing pressure… Coming!"

"Fight me." A manly voice commanded.

Rock Man gasped and stepped back, afraid, as a blinding white surge of power formed in the area.

"Coming…" The two villains muttered.

The flash died to reveal _Forte_ standing there while covering his body with the cloak as usual.

"The power which has awakened me from my slumber… Let me taste it…"

"Netto – kun!" Rock Man called out.

"We've got no place to run off to! Let's go, Rock Man! Battle Operation, Set!" Netto made a grimace.

"In!"

"Let me enjoy it…"

Forte hovered over the ground and quickly drew his main weapon: Rock Man saw it coming and focused his eyes on its angles and movements plus orientations.

"Hell's Buster!"

Rock Man managed to deduce where the deadly gunfire would rain at and shot the already prepared Mugen Vulcan 3 Program Advance at him thus hitting him as he was about to attack: given how he'd added two "Attack+10" then the total output of his Program Advance clocked at 1120 HP of damage out of 3000 HP.

"Hah… You lowlife came up with such an attack in the first turn… I am enjoying this!" Forte exclaimed.

"Soul Unison: Colonel Soul! Wide Shot 3! Counter Hit! Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Slot In! Dream Sword!"

"Eat this! 110 plus 800… 990 HP of damage to you! Hra~h!" Rock Man yelled as he charged at Forte and hit him with the Dream Sword thus inflicting large damage.

"2110 HP taken out…! Careful! He'll get more dangerous!" Netto warned Rock Man.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

Forte jumped forth and back while trying to hit Rock Man but he somehow dodged and landed a charge shot on Forte thus adding up another 110 HP of damage and reaching the total of 2220 HP of damage to him.

"This power…! This power…! I hadn't felt such excitement for a long time…! You lowlife have increased in power… And become a worthy opponent to me!" He laughed.

"There's more from where it came from! Program Advance! Meteors 3, Meteors 3, Cosmo Man SP! Cosmo Prism!"

Meteors began to fall down on Forte's position as he prepared to shoot the Hell's Buster and he was inflicted a total of 540 HP of damage thus adding up to 2760 HP of total damage.

"We're drawing closer…! Wide Shot 1, Triple Slot In! Program Advance! Super Wide! The end!"

"Eat this!" Rock Man yelled.

The Program Advance hit him as he got ready to attack with "Darkness Overload" and brought him down: he collapsed into the ground but soon managed to stand in a frail manner and made a weak chuckle as he looked at the ground.

"A power conflicting with "Dark"… "Light Power", huh… I'll eventually possess absolute "Dark" capable of swallowing up "Light"!" He muttered while getting cocky.

Laughing in a crazy manner he stepped back inside of the swirl while Rock Man collapsed from the accumulated exhaust.

"Looks like he's gone…" He muttered.

"That sure was an incredible power…" Netto grimly muttered.

"Yup… Had I lowered the guard for a bit it'd been dangerous…"

"So we gotta keep on becoming even stronger and get a power which won't lose to any "Dark"…" Netto guessed.

"Yup... And since Netto – kun is around… I'll keep on becoming even stronger… To the level in which I won't ever lose to the "Dark"…" Rock Man managed to smile.

"Yeah!"

"Congratulations!"

Both villains jumped down and they interacted with the swirl for a moment thus bringing up a laser barrier to seal it off before facing Rock Man, who looked up from being on his fours.

"As a reward, you'll know… Our true colors." "Demon Prince" dramatically announced.

"Yeah. You go first." "Demon King" told him.

"My pleasure."

He snapped his right hand's index and middle fingers to disengage the cloak and Rock Man felt how he turned white from the shock: Netto clutched the PET and gasped.

"So?"

"Demon Prince" turned out to be _another Rock Man_ colored purple, with evil reddish irises and retaining the yellow coloring on some spots of the body.

His chest emblem's colors had changed to navy blue instead of the usual bright red and he had a smirk across his face.

"Shirakami. That's my name. Don't you remember me, Rock Man? Inside of Duo's comet…! We faced there…! And later on… There, in Black Earth! Have you forgotten me? I'm your _reverse_, your _opposite_! And now I have a gained a body and mind of my own! Heh, heh, heh, heh… Feeling the angst?" He exclaimed.

"S-Shirakami…!" Rock Man gasped.

"Get ready." "Demon King" announced as he clutched his robe's chest area and looked about to throw it off.

"That voice sounds like…!" Rock Man gasped again.

"No wonder. Hah!"

"NO WAY!" Both Rock Man and Netto exclaimed.

Their negation had an obvious reason: "Demon King" was _another Forte_ who looked identical to the one they'd battled except that his eyes transmitted intelligence and amusement compared to the mere instinct and hatred the Forte they'd just battled had.

"Heh, heh, heh. Don't you remember about my brethren?"

"Brethren?" Both gasped.

"Gospel HQ! Their "Forte Project"… I am one of the Bug Fusion – made copies of the original Forte… The only survivor! Copy Forte!"

"COPY FORTE!" Both exclaimed.

"Yeah! I was the one who granted Shirakami a new form and body! I just had to sneak into the Science Labs during an examination of your body and extracted the data! I then allowed him to develop a mindset and personality of his own and we decided to tag along… We noticed the movements of Nebula before their attack on the Science Labs… And we thought that if Dr. Regal desired to stir up hatred then we could use you two to create deliciously raw and unprocessed hatred!" Copy Forte told them with a broad grin.

"Another reason to go around with such secrecy… Having this place become the grounds for the reveal adds more dramatic flavor to the whole thing!"

"But it ain't like we wanna continue Nebula. Nay. We'll root ourselves here and in Black Earth! And one day… The "Evil Kingdom" shall become a reality… But it won't be just "Darkloids"… One day a "Kingdom" of all Net Navis who worked for evil and would wish to continue will be founded and we will gather here… We'll be like Sauron's Mordor… A place of dread which no – one can approach undetected… Filled with armies and commanders which no – one can easily defeat…!"

"So! Whaddya think about it, guys?"

"… "Evil Kingdom"…!" Both were white by now.

"Yet that can take years. And we're not in a rush. We're young. We've got a lot to learn and experience. Copy Roids give us even greater freedom that we hadn't had before…!" Shirakami sneered.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… I can feel it… Fear and despair building up inside of you as we speak…!" Copy Forte chuckled.

"But we don't seek a fight right now either. You've had more than enough for one day! It'll take you the rest of this day and the next day to recover, I'd daresay! We'll be keeping an eye out to see what you guys are up to but I guess you've still got "some" thrill ahead of you…"

"The reason will soon become obvious…"

"So go back right now if you wish to. Farewell!"

"See ya~!"

Both put on their cloaks again while leaving their hoods lowered and warped out of the area: Rock Man managed to stand on his knees and kept on looking white.

"Netto~! The _spaghetti_ are ready~!" Haruka called out in the real world.

"Oh crap! I didn't help set the table!" Rock Man gasped.

"Whoho~! Mama's home-made _spaghetti_~! Plug Out, Rock Man! Coming, Mama~!" Netto laughed.

Rock Man came out and Kanou Shade's Navi walked up to the area while chuckling and sounding amused.

"So that's how it is! My. What a lovely staging and drama… I wonder if Cousin YY would be amused to see it… Heh, heh, heh! Or maybe Cousin V would? I don't know what either of them is doing right now but I wouldn't be surprised if Cousin V was the one who started the downfall while keeping a façade… Cousin YY must be busy enough getting the hang of the business and trying to find a point to it… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Yo! Cha. We need to have a word with cha."

"Yeah. We were waiting for you to show up!"

Copy Forte and Shirakami suddenly came back in and faced the Navi who lifted his hands as if to prove he wasn't armed.

"Negotiations?"

"Yeah. We're in need of some info on how the so-called "underground" operates yet we're more interested in the locales affiliated to this so-called "Secret Empire"… If it still exists…" Copy Forte told him.

"Can you give us any leads?"

"Hmmm… Well. There's a locale of recent construction pending allocation but I could pull some strings. If you gentlemen want to keep it for personal use then leave it to me… Most of those guys haven't caught up with what's going on yet… And they wouldn't dare to refuse me…"

"That's nice of cha. And who are those "Cousins" of yours? Other executives?"

"You could name them so. Cousin V is rather hot-blooded while Cousin YY is tempered… I'm supposed to be the cold-blooded… The irony is that both Cousins are ignorant of each other's existences and of my existence as well, so…" He chuckled.

"Sounds like a well pre-thought strategy… Anyway… If you wanna approach us then come to the spot where the Reverse Internet entrance to here is at… We'll build a shortcut to keep these Viruses from slipping into the outside world…"Shirakami grinned.

"When it comes to business then you may count on me. I respect those who struggle and gain power from effort… Not those who are powerless and depend on pawns to maintain the illusion of power…"

"Yeah. We're in the first category. And we'll only accept the strong ones in our future "Kingdom"… But we'll firstly go sight-seeing… To Cyber City!"

"Yeah! Our goal is Cyber City… 'Cause old man Wily is there!"

"My. Dr. Wily is there, you say. I witnessed how he erased Dr. Regal's memories and had Mr. Barrel pick those two to escape. It'd seem he's still up to something and he only bothered to settle the matter with Dr. Regal because he felt like it'd be a waste for him to die in such a manner when he still could give it another shot… But I guess he was annoyed at Dr. Regal for using "Heart Server" sans his permission… Maybe he liked to remember that time when he still was in good terms with Hikari Tadashi – hakase…" Kanou Shade reflected aloud.

"That's an intriguing reflection, yeah… Well then! We're gonna be in contact, Mr…" Copy Forte trailed off.

"Mr. Shade is fine."

"Mr. Shade, then." Shirakami settled.

"Indeed. But I'd prefer if my name was kept discreet."

"Don't worry. You wanna be able to move into any side and gather information on both of them to compare it so we don't care about your status… You're "neutral" to us." Copy Forte grinned.

"_Bye-bye_!"

"_Au revoir!"_

"_Ciao_."

The two Navis warped out again while Kanou Shade's Navi turned to head away when a deep and inhuman chuckle echoed around the area: the Navi whipped around to look at it.

"…O~H! I AM THE ONE WHICH… RULES THE CHAOTIC WORLD… AS LONG AS THERE IS… "DARK POWER"… I SHALL NOT BE… DESTROYED… I SHALL REVIVE… COUNTLESS TIMES…" A deep and inhuman voice proclaimed as something apparently tried to break the swirl's barrier from the inside side.

"Nebula Grey! That thing ain't dead and what's more: it has a will of its own! It's gotta be the true form of "Chaos King"…! Grah! Tactical withdrawal!" Kanou Shade cursed aloud with obvious angst.

17:45 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm - BEATEN!"

"Whoa. Saito. What happened?"

"Too much in one morning!"

"Yeah… He's totally right. I was the one Operating but I was sweating like Hell to keep my pulse…"

"By the way… Hum… How should I say this…?"

"Yuuichirou – san… It's about that phone call, right?"

Saito collapsed atop the sofa while looking like he couldn't take another step while Netto sat on a chair and looked exhausted too, to the surprise of Yuuichirou: he sounded like he wanted to bring something up.

"Yeah. I've been contacted by Mayor Cain of Cyber City… The place where they're researching in those "Copy Roids"… He's requested my help to improve their network and get it ready for the world fair which will open this June. So I'm afraid that… We'll have to move there."

"WHAT?" Both twins exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. But given how he offered us accommodation and saving me the need to stay there alone… We'll be moving there in April… I know I didn't ask you but…" He trailed off.

"… Hum… Well… Two months… It ain't like we go there for the rest or our lives, anyway…" Netto muttered.

"Well. Such is life." Saito muttered next.

"Don't worry! You can always come to visit in the weekends."

"I'm sure you'll make some nice friends too." Haruka animated.

"See? There's a good part to it too! So smile… To Cyber City we go!"

The four of them smiled and formed comforting smiles…

**THE END**


End file.
